Limitless Dreams
by ComanderSprings
Summary: After saving up for a long time, when 20 years-old Emily Davies finally goes out on her very own Pokémon journey, she discovers many different pokémon, people and experiences. What new things will this adventure bring her? Based on the events of Alpha Sapphire - Rated T for eventual violence
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Leaving the nest**

The mountain was only a hill. Now I know it. I've just entered the Pokémon League building and I'm downright speechless! This place is even bigger than I imagined. I have been dreaming with this moment since I was 11 years-old and now I'm finally there.

Who I am, you may ask. Well, my name is Emily Davis and I'm 20 years-old. I began my journey seven months ago and now I'm finally in the last stop before becoming a Pokémon master! What, do you want to know what happened before and how I arrived here? Its okay, I'm willing to tell you the story, of course! Now take a seat and grab your pop corn, because it's going to be a long one!

As I already said, my journey started seven months ago. It was an unusually warm day of March; altought in Oldale Town (the place where I come from) is always a bit warmer. I was sleeping peacefully without realizing that it was time of waking up, it was the day when I was going to get my first pokémon, a day that was going to change my life.

"Emily… Emily honey! It's already nine o'clock, you'll be late!" That was my mom trying to wake me up.

"Hmmm… hmm… WHAT?!" When I heard the words "you'll be late" I immediately snapped out of my sleepiness.

I ran towards the bathroom and took a shower as quickly as I could, what would Professor Birch think about me if I arrived late? My parents already talked me about him; I had to visit him in his lab on Littleroot Town in order to get my starter pokémon. I already decided I was going to pick Treecko. I liked the other two creatures available too, but I know many people who chose a Treecko as their starter and they all say they turn out to be amazing partners!

Once I finished the shower, I returned to my bedroom to get dressed. I chose from my wardrobe a plain white wife beater, a lime green tracksuit jacket, a pair of khaki colored shorts and flat black shoes. I could sense the smell of toasts coming from the kitchen. Thankfully the breakfast was already made!

I went to the dining room and, in fact, there was a dish with two toasts awaiting me. There was also a little pot of strawberry jam and a glass with orange juice. I sat down and I spread the jam over the toasts. Once I started eating, my dad came to greet me.

"Hi honey! Are you excited?" said my dad cheerfully.

"Of course I am! It's going to be really exciting… I can't wait to meet my new friend Treecko!" I stated with a wide smile. Then I gave a big crunch to my toast.

"I can't believe you are actually setting on a journey… I thought it was one of those things all kids want to do because everybody else is doing it! But hey, that doesn't mean I don't want you to travel around. I can't wait to see you becoming the Champion…"

"Hahaha! I think I'll have to make a superhuman effort to become the Champion, dad." Saying this, I finished my breakfast.

I was in a real hurry; I just had half an hour and I still had to pack up my bag.

I entered my room and I picked my old black school bag, I used it since my freshman year and now it was going to serve the purpose of storing all the items I would find in my journey. I put on it five sets of clothes, some personal care products, two pajamas, and a light green and white colored umbrella. My parents were going to give me 5000 Pokédollars to spend in basic items (such as potions and Pokéballs) and food. I put on my bag and I went to the living room. Saying goodbye to my parents was a hard moment, but at the same time I was happy because it meant I was going to leave for a fantastic adventure!

"Mom, dad! I'm ready to go."

After pronouncing these words, my parents appeared in the room. They were really happy; their facial expression revealed that they felt proud of me. My mother was the first one to say goodbye. She placed her hands on my shoulders and said:

"Emily darling, take care out there, do your best and no matter what happens, never give up!"

"I won't mom. I promise I will beat the Champion someday!" I hugged her and then it was my dad's turn.

"Good luck, Emily! I know you will do all you can, and with your pokémon you will be unbeatable!"

I chuckled and I hugged him too.

"I hope so. And I hope I will be able to form a strong bond with them."

"Don't worry about that, all you have to do is treating them with love and respect and caring for them properly" said my father.

"Altought sometimes, pokémon can be very stubborn!" warned my mother.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But I hope my new friend likes me!" I said happily.

Then my parents accompanied me to the door, I turned and we said our goodbyes one last time.

"Emily please, call us often!" My dad said.

"And don't forget to eat healthy!" My mom exclaimed.

"Don't worry; of course I will call you! And as for the food, I'll see what I can do…" I must admit I love junk food. Oh, and what I like the most when it comes to food is a good Mauville Ramen Bowl!

I waved goodbye one last time and I began to walk away from home, about to start an adventure that had in store a lot of things for me…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: New faces!**

I was already reasonably far away from home. Now my steps were leading me towards Route 101. My goal now was arriving Littleroot Town to meet Professor Birch and get my first pokémon. Needless to say, I was really excited! Until something crossed my mind: what if a wild pokémon attacked me? But I instantly I remembered that in Route 101 there only were small pokémon, the only danger could have been a female Mightyena protecting her puppies. But fortunately there were no incidents during my way to Littleroot Town; I could find a way to walk through my path without having to walk into the tall grass.

After walking for a while, I could see Littleroot Town in the distance. I rested my back against a tall tree and I took a deep breath. Then I started to scratch my forearm… Yes guys, that's a weird quirk of mine; whenever I'm nervous or really excited, I start to scratch my arms compulsively. I already have a few small scars… But I commanded myself to stop. After that, I saw a small pond. I refreshed my face a bit and after putting my glasses back and once the water stopped rippling, I stared at my reflection: I'm a pretty average girl; my hair was done in a simple high bun, that's my go-to hairdo. My eyes are brown and slightly almond shaped, my nose is a bit wide and my lips aren't too thick or too thin, they are normal… just like me. Altought during my adventure a lot of extraordinary things happened to me, but that's a story for another moment.

And without stopping walking, I finally made it to Littleroot Town: a small and peaceful place, pretty much like Oldale Town. My parents already gave me the directions in order to arrive to Professor's Birch laboratory: I just had to walk straight and soon I would see a big building, Birch's lab. And as I expected I arrived in the wink of an eye. I carefully knocked the door and I heard a voice from inside inviting me to go inside. There was awaiting me a man in his late 30s-early 40s. I closed the door and he walked towards me.

"Hallo! You must be Emily Davis." He said while offering his hand for a handshake.

"Yes, that's me!" I laughed while shaking his hand.

"Well Emily, I bet you are really excited to get your first pokémon, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes, of course! What's more, these days I could barely sleep!" I said sincerely. That made him laugh cheerfully.

"And did you already decide wich starter you are going to pick or are you still undecided?"

"I'm going to choose Treecko!" I assured with an excited tone in my voice.

"Well, then come with me."

He led me to a table. There were three Pokéballs. He explained that on the left there was Treecko, on the center there was Torchic and finally in the right side there was Mudkip.

I caught the pokéball containing Treecko.

"Well… I guess it's already done." I said

"Why don't you release your pokémon so you can greet each other?" Professor Birch asked.

"Huh… All I have to do is throw the pokéball, right?" I asked him with a tone of doubt in my voice. I saw others doing it, but I never did it myself!

"That's right! Don't be afraid."

I stared at the spherical device, I sighed and finally, I threw the pokéball. My Treecko turned around to see me. I went down on my knees to be at his same height and I said "Hi!" The reptilian like creature looked at me from head to toe and then he gave a nod of approval.

"Well, it looks like he already likes you!" Birch said happily.

"So soon? I expected him to dislike me at first or something." I was quite surprised, to be honest.

"Trust me, that happens sometimes, but in this occasion looks like the pokémon really likes you, and he just met you! By the way, would you like to nickname him? He's a male."

"Yes! I'll call him Trevor" That was the first name that crossed my mind and I thought that it really fitted him.

"Trevor? That's a nice name!" Professor Birch said.

"Do you like your name, Trevor?" I asked my new friend.

"Treecko!" That's what I got as a response. He seemed really happy… And that made me happy too. It looks like we started out really good!

"If you want to get your pokémon back to the pokéball, all you have to do is pointing the device at him and pressing the button on the center." Professor Birch observed.

I followed his instructions and in fact, Trevor returned to the pokéball. Once again, I saw other people doing this, but since I never did it by myself it was totally new to me.

I was going to say goodbye to Professor Birch but he said

"Wait! You are going to need this." Then he gave me a Pokédex, a set of ten pokéball and a device containing a map and something called DexNav. He explained me that said function would allow me to know about the pokémon on my current location. "Wow, science has really gone far!" I said to myself.

After that I thanked Professor Birch and he wished me good luck on my journey. Then I left the lab and I quickly headed towards Oldale Town. I didn't want to look for wild pokémon yet, I wanted to introduce my new partner to my parents and buy a few potions in the Pokémarket.

I arrived to my parent's house in the blink of an eye. They got startled to see me appear so suddenly.

"Emily, was there any problem?" my mom asked concerned.

"No, it's all fine! I just wanted to introduce you to my new friend, Trevor!" I announced.

"Thank Arceus! I thought you had an accident or something." Said my dad.

"Greg, don't be so negative!" My mom scolded him.

I got the pokéball out of my bag and I released Trevor. My parents were amazed at the sight of my very own pokémon!

"What a cutie!" My mom cooed.

"Yes, he sure is!" My dad agreed.

After playing with him for a while, they told me that I should go on with my journey, reminding me too to keep on touch no matter what. I said goodbye and I headed towards Route 102. When I arrived here, I felt safe, because now I had a pokémon of my own and I didn't have to be afraid of wild pokémon. But what I found there was more annoying than a wild pokémon.

There was a teenage boy. He was walking around, and it was clear that he had no idea of what to do. He was blonde and blue eyed, and he was wearing a yellow jacket and a pair of jeans. Then he spotted me.

"Hey you, come here! I challenge you to a battle!" He yelled. Wow, he was straight like a dart! I was pondering whether accepting his proposal or not.

"Don't tell me you're afraid to lose!" He mocked.

"Of course not! It's just that… this will be my first battle ever." I said.

"Great, a noob!" He said smugly.

"A noob? Tell me, how long have you been traveling?" If he was still here, maybe he just started, as well as me.

"Four days! And you just got your first pokémon. I have more experience than you!" I was starting to dislike this guy. I hate this kind of people. I really wanted to leave him talking alone like an idiot, but I'm way too polite to do that. I had no choice but accepting his challenge.

"Okay, let's do this! Let's go, Trevor!" I released my Pokémon and he let go a defying growl.

"Wow, I didn't expect this to be so easy!" The guy celebrated. And then he released a Mudkip. A Mudkip! And he wanted to defeat me with a Mudkip? Even little kids know that grass types are strong against water types!

"Sorry to break this to you, but my pokémon has advantage over yours." I informed him politely.

"Nonsense! I never lost with this guy. You know, Mudkip is the pokémon of cool people!" He insisted. I rolled my eyes and we started the battle. He granted to me the first move.

"Trevor, use pound!" I commanded him. He successfully hit the rival pokémon.

"What nonsense! Finnegan, use growl!" Finnegan? Well, everybody can nickname their pokémon the way they want. My Trevor seemed a bit altered after the growl, but he regained his composure shortly after.

"Now Trevor, absorb!" Trevor put his hands on the air, aiming at Finnegan and two red beams appeared. Now the rival Mudkip was feeling weaker.

"What are you doing? Your pokémon hasn't been hit!" The guy yelled.

"My bad, sir!" I said mockingly.

"Finnegan, go and use pound!" The little Mudkip used his remaining energy to pound at my pokémon. Trevor couldn't dodge the attack and ended up being hit.

"Trevor, don't worry, it's almost done! Use pound!" I encouraged. Trevor obeyed me and pounded at Finnegan. The young Mudkip fainted.

"Wha- what?!" The blonde teenager couldn't believe what happened. And to be honest, me neither. My first battle and I won!

"Good job, little one!" I congratulated Trevor and I returned him to his pokéball. Winning a battle sure felt amazing… and I still had much more battles to win. The voice of the annoying guy made me snap out of my thoughts.

"You! The next time I swear I will defeat you. Oh, what's your name, by the way?" He asked with an arrogant gesture.

"Emily. What about you?"

"Josh. The next time, get ready to cry a river!" After that, he left the place running. It looks like we have someone who can't stand losing!

My journey just started and I already won a battle. But I would keep my feet on the ground. There was still much more to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Taking off**

Route 102 sure is a good place for beginner trainers like I was at the moment. It was my second day as a Pokémon Trainer! The landscape was beautiful and the warmth of the day helped me to feel even happier. Also, I won my first trainer battle and I felt delighted. And plus, I took the opportunity to level grind my pokémon with the few wild pokémon that got in our way. Nothing special, just a couple of Zigzagoon and a Poochyena.

But if my journey was being placid, that was about to change. I was walking minding my own business when I suddenly heard rustling in the grass. I turned to see if there was someone of something, but I couldn't see anything, so I kept walking. But I kept hearing the sound of the moving grass. I stood still for a moment but no one appeared. So I tried to keep walking, but this time the grass moved harder. I was starting to feel afraid, so I put my hand in Trevor's pokéball, ready to release him just in case there was any danger. But there was no danger at all. Guess what happened then!

A little Ralts came running from the grass. It was holding a berry and seemingly wanted to give it to me. But while the young pokémon was running towards me, it trip and fell in a comical manner. I giggled and I went to help the pokémon get up. The Ralts grabbed my hand with his tiny white hands, grabbed the berry from the floor and handed it to me.

"Is this for me?" I asked. The Ralts nodded happily.

After that, I remembered the Pokédex. I turned it on and soon the device recognized the creature standing before me. The machine started to give information about the species.

" _Ralts has the ability to sense the emotions of people. If its Trainer is in a cheerful mood, this Pokémon grows cheerful and joyous in the same way."_

A pokémon that senses people`s emotions? I was told about that subject before, in high school. In fact, we were given a whole lesson about the matter. We've been told that psychic type pokémon are highly intelligent and that some even are able to read people's mind, recognize people's emotions (like in Ralts case), etc. Also, according to the Dex, this specimen is a female. This Ralts seemed very kind and after thinking about it while looking at the little pokémon, I finally asked:

"Ralts, would you like to join my team?" The young pokémon looked at me with curiosity, but finally seemed to understand what I said. And I swear she nodded in agreement.

I grabbed a pokéball from my bag and I threw it aiming at the green and white pokémon. Ralts didn't struggle to get out or anything. Soon it was officially caught. Great! Now I had two pokémon in my party. "Trevor won't be alone anymore!" I said to myself.

After successfully catching my first pokémon I kept walking. Now my goal was Petalburg City. I was going to use the opportunity to go and greet my high school teachers. I studied the O.S.E there and I always like to drop by the high school and say hello. I honestly think teachers are an important part of our lives. After all, we spend with them part of our childhood and our teenage years!

But suddenly I heard something strange: I could hear people speaking angrily and yelling. I decided to approach them. I was aware it probably was nothing of my business, but either way, I wanted to

see if someone needed help. When I got to the place where the voices came from, the scene didn't please me at all: there was a photo shoot. And you may ask "What's wrong, then?" I'll tell you: the model had a young Seviper around her neck and the pokémon was obviously uncomfortably. He was even struggling to release himself, but the girl forced him to stay with the help of the photographer and some other guy.

"Stupid snake!" the photographer barked.

"My makeup and my hairdo are going to get spoiled because of this damn thing!" the model complained.

I felt the need to step up. I can't tolerate pokémon abuse; it's one of the vilest things to do in the world.

"Hey, you! Why don't you let that poor Seviper alone?"

"This is nothing of your business, girl!" One of the helpers scowled.

Silly me, I couldn't think of anything else. I started to sweat out of fear; I feared that the wild pokémon would get injured by these irresponsible people. I had to think about something, and quickly! I tried to pull the card of annoying them…

"Hey! I heard something on the news!" I declared.

"WE DON'T CARE!" The model shouted while struggling to keep the Seviper in place.

"Ah, no? I heard that blonde models receive less money than red haired ones." The girl was blonde, so I thought that it would piss her off. Obviously, that statement is totally fake.

"You don't know anything about fashion business!" the photograph inquired.

"That's what you think." I answered. "Do you hear that?" I asked after a pause.

"What?" They all said at the same time.

"Nevermind, it's gone now!" I was starting to have fun. I loved to see their reactions!

The helper glared at me and fortunately, he got his hands off of the pokémon.

"If you don't leave, we'll call the police or something!" He threatened, but I didn't back off. Then I got the ultimate idea, the words that would drive them away!

"Okey, but before that, listen: I don't want to upset you all but I've been there for a while before you arrived there, and I saw a Mightyena peeing right there." I said pointing at the feet of the model.

"AAAHHHH! HOW DISGUSTING! I'M LEAVING!" The young model freaked out and she finally released the Seviper, who left the place in the blink of an eye. The photograph and the helper promptly followed her.

I thought it wouldn't work, but that people was finally gone and the pokémon was again the wild minding his own business. Now I could keep with my way to Petalburg City.

It was already midday and the sun was beating down just like the day before, too much for a March day! I did a stop to eat a sandwich that I bought back at Oldale Town and I kept walking. I couldn't wait to arrive to the first gym. I know I just started my journey, but I was quite excited and I wanted to have a "serious" battle to prove myself.

Some minutes later I was entering to Petalburg City. I battled some young trainers along the rest of the way and it was more or less easy, Trevor and Berry did an excellent work. I do know that in Petalburg City there's a gym, but it's the fifth one. Norman, the leader, is quite strong according to what people say, but I had plenty of time to get ready.

Petalburg City is much bigger than Oldale Town, but finding the high school was quite easy for me, after all, I spent there like four years! I approached the door but, to my surprise, it was closed. That day wasn't special, so I couldn't think of a reason for the school being closed. Slightly disappointed, I went to a nearby cafeteria. I used to go there after the classes, before going home. I entered and sat at a table, when I noticed someone familiar two tables beyond me. There was a middle-aged woman reading a book. I looked at her furtively a few times and I realized that, indeed, I knew her: sitting there was Mrs. Perry, my tutor in the last year of high school. I decided to approach her.

"Mrs. Perry?" I asked her like if I doubted. Sometimes I can be a bit insecure when talking to people… unless there's an injustice, like with the events of moments ago.

"Emily, is that you? You've grown out a lot!" She got up and greeted my with a handshake, then she invited me to sit with her. "What brings you to Petalburg City?"

"Well, I finally started my very own pokémon journey!" I announced.

"Now? But, aren't you like twenty years-old?" She asked surprised.

As most of you know, people usually goes out for this kind of adventure around 10-11 years-old, but why did I wait this much? Well, I wanted to be more mature by the time of the start of the adventure. However, I didn't want to be too old either. So after talking with my parents, we agreed that twenty years- old would be an appropriate age. In the meantime, after graduating from high school, I worked as a cashier in Oldale Town's Pokémarket in order to save money for the journey. And that's pretty much it. I explained all this to her.

"Oh, well. That's a good choice. You will be more prepared for danger this way. Because, you realize that there might be problems during your travelling, right?" She asked concerned.

"Yes, I do. That's why I have my pokémon with me!" I smiled. "One thing: why is high school closed today?" I asked her remembering my surprise upon finding the building closed.

"Oh, today it's a non instructional day." She clarified.

Then our orders arrived; she ordered a coffee and I ordered a decaffeinated coffee and a pastry. The best way to recover energy! And, once we finished, I said goodbye to her. After that, I went to make a reservation to the local hostel. I wanted to stay the night there. It's not that I don't like camping on the routes, but having a cozy bed is always nice.

And that was everything I had to highlight of my second day travelling through Hoenn. My next stop was Petalburg Woods, and then I'd finally arrive to Rustboro City in order to challenge the gym leader, Roxanne. Maybe I was rushing too much, or maybe not. But I already wanted to see which my skills were at the moment. That's me, always wanting to improve…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The first step**

That morning I woke up with an explosion of adrenaline. I was going to confront Roxanne, nothing more and nothing less than Rustboro City's gym leader and also a teacher and honor student in the Pokémon School located there. I was eager to show her what I was able to do at the moment. Maybe I wasn't an elite trainer, but I started out pretty good.

I ended up spending two days in Petalburg City because I decided that I had to chill out and not rush things. During these days I trained my pokémon and I battled a couple of trainers. I lost one of the battles and it was pretty embarrassing, although the pokémon of said trainer were clearly in an advantage over mine because of their types. Well, I guess you can't always win!

After paying the fee to the hostel's receptionist, I left with steady steps towards Route 104. There's Petalburg Woods, which I had to cross in order to arrive to Rustboro City. At the entrance of the forest, I found a young man who requested a battle in a rather "interesting" way.

"Hey girl, do you want to see the power of my money? Of course you want to see it! I have the best pokémon my father could get me with his money!" Oh no, another obnoxiously arrogant guy. "Go Zigzagoon!" He commanded.

"Okay. Let's go, Berry!" I sent out my Ralts.

"Come on Zigzagoon, show off your pedigree and use a good tackle!" The snobbish young man ordered.

My Ralts was hit by the Zigzagoon's tackle. I totally didn't want to lose a battle right after going to have a match against Roxanne, which would be a total downer!

"Berry, use confusion!" I said

Berry closed her eyes and a wave of blue light knocked the foe's Zigzagoon. I asked her to use the attack once more, but the rival pokémon could dodge the attack.

"Zigzagoon, use growl!"

"Berry, avoid the attack and use confusion once more!" Berry's attack didn't miss and she knocked Zigzagoon down. Another victory for us! The rival trainer said something about me being unfair and left.

I could finally enter Petalburg Woods, a very beautiful place that brought me many good memories. My parents used to bring me there every Sunday when I was a kid. The atmosphere was incredibly soothing. The sun shone between the branches of the trees and the smell of the flowers filled the air. It was obvious that spring was coming.

In Petalburg Woods there are several kinds of pokémon. I didn't mind if one crossed my path, I'd might try to catch it. The more the merrier, right? I saw a couple of families on a picnic, just like when I was younger. Being at the forest sure helped me to calm down before the battle! It was getting hot, so I left my bag down to remove my jacket when a little incident happened (altought there were more "incidents" to come). I swear it was just a moment! When I tried to grab my bag, I realized there was something inside. And it was nothing more and nothing less than a Taillow! I put my hand into the bag to make the little bird pokémon come out, but I got a painful peck as a response.

I looked around and I saw one of the families eating together under a tree. I walked towards them and I asked for a little piece of bread, stating that I had a little "problem". I returned to the place where I left my bag and the pokémon was still inside. I extended my hand holding the piece of bread, but keeping it out of the carrier. I waited patiently until Taillow finally decided to come out and eat the small chunk of bread. It was rather cute to see him (or her) eating from my hand. Once she finished, I waited to see if he left or not. I walked a little to see if he followed me around or not, and he seemed a bit unsure.

"Do you want to join my team?" I asked. I was answered with a chirp and a confused look. I reached for a Pokéball and I threw it aiming at Taillow. One, two, three… Done! Taillow was caught. I checked the Pokédex, which informed me that I just caught a male specimen. I honestly didn't have a nickname in mind at the moment. I had to think about one, although that was the least important; now I had yet another one pokémon on my party and I was going to Rustboro City to confront the gym leader!

I was walking happily minding my own business when I was startled by a sudden ruckus. I turned around to see what was happening and a man dressed in an outfit that reminded me of a pirate was bothering another man who was wearing a white coat, who I supposed was a scientist or something.

"Give me back those documents!" The scientist pleaded.

"No way, we need them! They will be useful for our plan!" The other man yelled.

I had no idea what was going on, but I approached carefully. Being noticed wasn't my intention, but the two men ended up learning of my presence. The guy in a striped shirt looked at me and then looked back at the older man and said:

"There's the deal: if that girl over here can defeat me, I'll give you the documents back. But don't think we will stop our plans!" Then he looked back at me. "Are you ready to bite the dust?" He asked arrogantly.

"That's the last thing I'm willing to do now. Go Trevor!" I sent out my Treecko and he sent out a Poochyena.

"Ju-just end this already okay?" said the scientist hiding behind me.

"Poochyena, show them what you're made of and use bite!" the young man barked. His pokémon bit my Treecko fiercely, and that left my pokémon pretty vexed, but he stood again.

"Trevor, don't give up and use absorb!" Trevor put his hands on the air and absorbed part of the foe's Poochyena energy.

"Use growl!" the rival commanded and his pokémon left go a menacing growl, but my pokémon was too brave to feel intimidated.

"Let's finish this Trevor, use tackle!" and finally my Trevor strongly took down his rival. Another victory for us!

"This won't stay like this! Expect to see me in the future girl! And you -he said to the older man hiding behind me- here you have your goddamn papers! And just so you know, us the members from Team Aqua are behind something big in Rustboro City!" After delivering such speech, the young man left.

The man who was hiding behind me sighed in relief and I turned around to face him.

"Thank Arceus! I was so scared… Thanks for saving me!" He said while shaking.

"No problem! But, are you okay?" I asked concerned.

"Yes… yes I am. Please take this as a gesture of appreciation. You are a trainer, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, then this device will help you a lot in your journey. It will help all your pokémon to level up faster. Just push this button and it will be on."

I pushed the button and a little red light went on. I saved it on my bag.

"Thanks a lot, sir! Just now I was heading towards Rustboro City for my first gym battle." I explained him in a enthused tone.

"Good luck in your quest, then!" The man said happily. He waved goodbye and left. I decided that it was time to keep advancing my path.

I ran like crazy during the rest of the trail until I finally emerged from the forest. I already could see Rustboro City in the distance! But a little beautiful building caught my attention: it was the Pretty Petal Flower shop, my mom used to take me there as a kid and we would choose flowers together. It was so much fun!

I approached to take a look at the berries planted outside. A young woman came out of the little shop.

"You can serve yourself! But don't forget to plant more berries once you're finished. Oh, and when you're done, come inside the shop." She disappeared into the shop. I didn't know that woman; she might be the shopkeeper's daughter.

I collected berries from two of the bushes and then I planted one again in the ground. After that, I entered into the shop as the young lady told me to. The shop looked just like I remembered it: full of beautiful flowers and exquisitely made bouquets. The Pretty Petal Flower shop is without any doubt the best florist shop in Hoenn.

"Hello! Come over there!" The young lady from before waved.

I approached her and she shown me a watering can with the shape of a Wailmer. It was pretty cute, actually!

"You are going to need this if you are interested in taking care of the berry bushes. You should go and water the one you just planted." She advised me.

"Thank you! Actually, I always liked flowers and plants." That's true. My parents used to harvest berries in the garden and I always helped them.

Once I watered the plant, I ran again towards the big city awaiting me. I still had to go through a bridge that went across a huge lake. There were several people fishing or just relaxing. But I didn't have time to relax! My heart was about to burst out of my chest. I think I was overexcited. And to add to that, I was scratching my left arm like crazy, it was beginning to hurt. Yes; all this while running. I'm crazy, right?

And before I could realize, I already was at the other side of the bridge. I shouldn't have pushed myself so hard; I almost had to sit on the ground to catch my breath. It felt like I ran a marathon instead of crossing a simple bridge! But soon I could keep walking towards Rustboro City, such a beautiful place! The façade of the buildings was made of masonry, the ground was beautifully paved… and the day was lovely! Could I ask for more?

First, I entered the Pokémon Center to heal my tired pokémon and then I went to the Pokémarket to buy some additional potions, when I faced someone… a bit unpleasant.

"Emily!" I turned around to discover it was Josh, the first trainer I ever fought (and defeated!).

"Hello Josh. How are you doing?" I asked kindly.

"Really good! I'm pretty sure that I'm doing better than you because I just won my first badge, look!" He showed me with a prideful grin the shiny object.

"Well, just now I was going to confront the leader. Was it easy for you?" I questioned him.

"Yes! I made her bit the dust in the first try. Ain't I great?" He said excitedly.

"Huh… yeah. Well, I'll see you around. Bye!" I walked out of the store promptly, after hearing him say goodbye too. That Josh was really stuck up and a bit immature to say the least!

But before going to the gym, I wanted to explore the city a little bit. I walked around for a while and a saw a huge building. I was sure it was the headquarters of Devon L.C, which is a huge company that always uses the best technology for its devices. I saw two men talking outside. One of them was much younger and they kinda looked alike. I bet they were father and son. I couldn't help but laying my eyes on the younger man; he really looked stunning. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, and the color of his spiky hair was a combination of silver and a very light blue. And to add to that, the way he smiled while talking to his father was lovely. And before I could realize, I was staring at him like a maniac! I think they realized that they were being watched, because they looked at my direction. I quickly looked away to pretend I was looking at something else and I walked away as fast as my feet allowed me to.

After wandering aimlessly for a while, I finally made my mind that it was the time to go to the gym. I've wanted to meet Roxanne and battle her once and for all. I stood at the door of the gym, I took a deep breath and I finally entered. It resembled a paleontology museum; there were things such as paleontology tools and very accurate reproductions of fossils. It was awesome to say the least! I also saw that the gym leader learned of my presence.

"Hello!" She said cheerfully.

"Hello, I'm Emily." I introduced myself. I was almost shaking, I've never been so nervous… That day was full of strong feelings.

"You must be a new challenger, then. My name is Roxanne and I'm this city's gym leader. I'm looking forward to see what you've already learned in your short journey! Oh, and don't be nervous. You will eventually battle against trainers who are much stronger than I am." She told me. Roxanne is pretty kind, I expected her to be cockier. She's a gym leader, after all.

"Hahaha! You noticed, right?" I laughed anxiously "Okey… come on, Trevor!" My dear starter appeared right in front of me. I bet he knew what was going on.

"Well, you are starting out pretty good! Go, Geodude!" Roxanne sent out her first pokémon.

"Trevor, use growl!" I commanded him firmly. He growled defiantly at his rival, who seemed to get a bit intimidated.

"Okey Geodude. Use defense curl and right after that, use tackle!" She said that very sure of herself, and at the moment, I felt jealous of that.

Trevor should have had time to avoid the attack, but the foe pokémon managed to take him down.

"Trevor, this is your time! Use mega drain!" Trevor aimed his arms towards the rock type pokémon and a green beam started to glow from Geodude to Trevor "And now use quick attack!" Trevor hit his rival and, finally, defeated him. But it wasn't over.

"You are doing pretty well! But I still have on pokémon left. It's your turn, Nosepass!"

I allowed Trevor to stay and I sent out Berry. I trusted her and I was sure she would do it very well. Roxanne granted me the first move.

"Berry, use confusion!" Her eyes turned blue and he sent Nosepass to the wall, but he recovered of the hit quickly.

"Stay strong, Nosepass! Use rock tomb!" Roxanne's Nosepass jumped into the air. Once he landed, enormous rocks protruded from the ground, making berry unable to see and move.

Now I was pretty worried, I didn't want to lose because of this! I was pondering if I should ask Berry to use her psychic powers to clear the rocks or not. I thought she was too weak to do that, but trying doesn't hurt anyone…

"Berry! Focus on the rocks and try to make them move!" I ordered her.

A blue light surrounded the boulders. Berry was putting all her effort into it, and soon the results came; she sent the boulders flying into the air! But such a feat left her very weakened. The best would be switching pokémon.

"Berry, you did a great job! Now you deserve to rest." I said while making her return to the pokéball. After that, I sent out Trevor.

"You really care about your pokémon! Nosepass, use tackle!" The Nosepass looked really tired. It was my chance…

"Trevor, use megadrain!" I cried. My pokémon couldn't avoid the tackle but… once as soon as he was able to stand up; he performed the attack on the foe Nosepass and… defeated him.

Yes, I won my first gym badge! I jumped up and down, unable to contain my happiness, I hugged Trevor so hard that he left go a squeak of complain, but I knew he was happy too.

"Congratulations! I see I still have many things to learn. But here's you first badge! This is the Rock Badge. Your next stop would be Dewford Town. The gym leader is Brawly, a good friend of mine. I wish you luck on your journey!" This girl was really lovely. "I hope all the gym leaders are like this!" I said to myself.

"Thanks a bunch, Roxanne! I have to learn a lot, too. And you surely helped me to learn more." I told her. And I was being honest. I'm always honest! When I say something I really mean it.

We finally said goodbye and I left the gym. I couldn't feel better… I finally earned my first badge! And there's no better feeling in the world than accomplishing something in which you have worked hard. And this was only the first step!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Favors**

After defeating Roxanne, I went to the Pokémon Center to heal my pokémon. I just left the Pokémon Center when I already had to start moving again… Yes, as you might guess, things start to get interesting from there. I saw the scientist from Petalburg Woods yelling at one of those pirate guys, who was running away.

"GIVE ME BACK THE PIECEEEES!" The man started to chase the Team Aqua member, until he noticed me. "Young lady, I need your help again! Please!" He pleaded.

"What happened?" Silly me… why do I have to ask something I already know?

"That bloody grunt stole me some important pieces! I needed them for a project…" He said.

"Let's see what I can do. Where did he go?" I asked. He pointed towards Route 116.

After promising I'd be back with the pieces, I headed towards Route 116 with the intention of retrieving the components of the device (I assumed they were part of a machine or something). At the moment I thought Team Aqua was just a little gang of thieves. Boy, I was wrong, VERY wrong…

I had no idea where the guy could have gone. I consulted the map and there was a place named Rusturf Tunnel. I was pretty sure the grunt was hiding there, it was too obvious. There was a thorny bush on the way and I had to ask Trevor to cut it. Once I could keep walking, I finally could reach the entrance of the tunnel. Well, not quite; there was someone blocking the path, an old man who looked really sad an upset.

"Hi. Is there something wrong?" I asked concerned.

"Yes… That damned delinquent stole my precious Peeko!" He sobbed. I assumed Peeko was his pokémon. I'd also feel really bad if someone stole my pokémon…

"Well, it looks like that people is really problematic… -I said to myself- Don't worry, I'll retrieve your Peeko!" I tried to cheer him up.

"Re-really? Would you do that for me?" He asked hopeful.

"Of course! I won't let anyone steal other people's pokémon and get away with it." Now I had to tasks, but I didn't mind because I always like to help people.

I entered the cave; it was pretty quiet and a bit foggy. There were many boulders in the way but I avoided them carefully. But all of sudden, I heard a scream: I swear that, during a split second, I could see sparkles. I got really startled. After that I saw a little pink pokémon running away. I got the Pokédex, which revealed that I just saw a Wishmur.

I doubted that it was Peeko, so I kept walking until I heard a voice and some screeches. Boy, this was getting ugly…

"What are you doing here? Are you going to try to defeat me? You will regret!" It was a Team Aqua grunt and he was holding a Wingull, who I supposed it was Peeko. The bird was clearly scared. I can't stand that kind of things!

"If I win, you'll give me the pieces and the pokémon back." I said looking into his eyes defiantly.

"Okey. But I just agree because I'm sure you won't win." He responded. The guy abruptly left Peeko on the floor, who was looking confused.

"Go Taillow!" I threw the pokéball with energy.

"Go get 'em, Poochyena!" the Team Aqua member barked. It looks like these people have a soft spot for Poochyena.

"Taillow, use peck!" Taillow flew to Poochyena and pecked its head, as strongly as he pecked my fingers just hours before. The Team Aqua grunt got pretty pissed off.

"Poochyena, use bite on Taillow!" He perhaps thought that his pokémon could think Peeko was the enemy. The Poochyena bit Taillow's tail and my pokémon left go a scream.

"Taillow, use growl and then quick attack!" I boomed. No thug would hurt my pokémon!

After seeing his pokémon get attacked, the pirate guy ordered his Poochyena to use tackle, but Taillow avoided it. Now I understand why so many people like flying type pokémon!

"Taillow, now use wing attack!" Sadly, the attack missed and this time the rival's pokémon could take down my pokémon.

I didn't want Taillow to get hurt anymore and I withdrew him. I sent out Trevor, the front man of the team.

"So you switch your pokémon, huh? Very clever, but I think you should start to accept the fact that you are going to lose. Poochyena, bite that pokémon!" He yelled.

"Trevor, dodge the attack and use cut!" The attack dealt a significant amount of damage and the Poochyena finally fainted. The Team Aqua grunt was visibly enraged.

"You win! Here you have these stupid pieces and this stupid bird! Ugh!" After that, he left walking loudly.

Soon after that, I saw someone coming towards me. It was a male figure, walking very slowly. As I could verify, it was the old man I found at the entrance of the tunnel. I could see his eyes lighting up once he spotted his beloved pokémon.

"Peeko! Am I glad to see you are safe!" He said while the Wingull climbed to his shoulder like a Chatot would do. That pokémon seemed to be pretty tame. "My Peeko owes her life an' freedom to you, lass! They call me Mr. Briney. And you are?" He continued.

"My name is Emily. And it wasn't a bother, I'm glad to have helped you and your pokémon!" I said.

"Then I sincerely thank you, Emily. If there's ever a thing I can do to help you in turn, don't you hesitate to tell me. If I'm to be found, it will always be at my cottage by the sea near Petalburg Woods." The man was really grateful for my help, and I was very happy to see that. "Thanks again, lass. Come, Peeko! High time we're under way to home!" Mr. Briney slowly disappeared with his pet Wingull towards route 116. Well, it looks like I've already made a friend!

I guessed that now I had to return to Rustboro City in order to return the pieces to the scientist. The way back to the city was pretty short, despite a couple of trainers whom I battled. They didn't put things easy for me, my pokémon were too tired. I went to the Pokémon Center in order to restore their health and soon after that, I found the man who wanted to retrieve the pieces.

"Yes! You could retrieve them! You are great!" The man cheered.

"Hehehe, it's not a big deal." I tried to play it down. I always feel like this with that kind of compliments.

"As a show of gratitude, here you can have a Super Ball. And now, follow me. I'll lead you to our headquarters." Headquarters? Was this man a Devon employee?

Soon I found the answer: yes, he was. We entered the big building and I felt speechless. Only the hall was almost as big as my entire house! Well, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I was very impressed. There was a piece of glass on the floor displaying several fossils and rocks. I was afraid to walk over it and break the glass. It was simply stunning.

The Devon worker led me through the stairs. We climbed stairs until the second floor, and there's when things got… I can't find a word to describe it. See by yourselves.

"And this is our president's office." He said. Office? Oh my Arceus, what an enormous office! "Mr. Stone?" He asked.

A black office chair turned around to reveal a man on his early 50s and I nearly gasped when I saw who it was; the man I saw some hours before, the one who was talking to his son. I was dumbfounded to say the least.

"I'm Mr. Stone, the president of the Devon Corporation. I'd just got word about you! You saved our staff not just once, but twice! I'm very grateful." Mr. Stone said. So I was being praised by the president of a huge corporation. That's nice…

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Stone. My name is Emily" I introduced myself "There was no problem. I always like to help people in trouble." I said without getting over my astonishment.

"I'm glad to hear you say that! I have a favor to ask… Um, are you okay?" I started to scratch my arms compulsively, like I always do when I'm too excited or nervous. I had to stop for my own sake and I invited him to continue. "As I was saying, I have a favor to ask of an amazing person like you."

"Amazing person?" I muttered, but he didn't hear me.

"I understand that you're delivering a package to Slateport's Shipyard. Well, on the way could you stop off in Dewford Town?" He asked.

"Of course! What's more, I was going to Dewford Town anyway, because there's the second gym" How appropriate, right?

"Nice! I was hoping that you'd deliver a letter to a boy named Steven in Dewford." He expressed.

"Yes, I will. There's no problem!" I nodded. Who was that Steven guy? An employee? What I was doing getting mixed up in the issues of a big company?

"By the way, I've heard that some sinister criminals that go by the name of Team Aqua, I believe, have been making trouble far and wide." He told me.

"Oh, in fact I've dealt with some thugs that seemingly are members of that organization." I explained to Mr. Stone.

"Believe me, they are more than thugs. Well, then, Emily, go with caution and care!"

"I will, Mr. Stone! I'll deliver that letter as soon as I can." I promised.

"Well, you don't have to rush too much. Goodbye!" Mr. Stone said kindly.

"Goodbye!" I chirped. It's me or the people from Rustboro City are super nice?

I went to the Pokémon Center to spend the night; I'd go to see Mr. Briney the next morning. I hoped he didn't mind. As for me, I couldn't believe that I was going to challenge another gym leader the day after winning my first gym badge. I still think I was going to fast but, who cares? I was excited with my journey and I wanted to see the region, I wanted to become stronger, I wanted to do so many things! And I couldn't forget about the letter for that man called Steven. That night I fell asleep thinking about how complicated (or easy) the next gym battle would be.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Riding the wave**

I left the Pokémon Center as soon as the sun went up. I had to walk all the way back to Route 104, in order to arrive to Mr. Briney's house. I was afraid that I caught him sleeping because it was really early. And there are people (and pokémon) who get pretty angry if you interrupt their sleep, but Mr. Briney didn't look like one of them.

I had to stop a couple of times to rest and refresh myself; I have to admit that I still was a bit sleepy, but the morning air helped me to get fully awake. Some wild pokémon frolicked through the grass and I had to fight a couple of them, because they wouldn't let me continue.

When I finally could arrive to Route 104, I looked for Mr. Briney's cottage. It was pretty easy to find: it's a small house near the sea. I could see someone in front of the house from the distance. I approached slowly, just in case it was a stranger or perhaps even a thief. But no; surprisingly for me, it was Mr. Briney himself. He was doing morning stretches with the company of his beloved pokémon, Peeko.

"Mr. Briney?" I asked in a somewhat loud voice, so he could hear me.

"Hm? You're Emily! You saved my darling Peeko! We owe you so much." He cheered. Mr. Briney was really happy for what I did for him and Peeko.

"You don't need to thank me! I really just wanted to help you." I assured.

"What brings you there?" Mr. Briney asked.

"Well, if it's not much of a bother, I need you to take me to Dewford Town. I have to deliver a letter there and I'll also battle the gym leader. Then I have to go to Slateport City to deliver a package." I explained him.

"Hmhm… You have a letter bound for Dewford and a package for Slateport, then? Quite the busy life you must lead!" He laughed.

"Yes, it looks like now I'm a post woman!" I laughed too.

"Certainly, what you're asking is no problem at all. You've come to the right man! We'll set sail for Dewford!" He announced with enthusiasm.

Mr. Briney had his little boat docked near his house. I must be honest, I've never been on a boat and I was afraid of feeling sick.

"Anchors aweigh! Peeko, we're setting sail, my darling!" Mr. Briney announced.

"I've never been to a boat!" I said right before sailing.

"No? Well, you'll see you will like the experience. Sailing is an amazing thing to do! After all, I'm an old seawolf!" Mr. Briney said. Well, then I didn't have nothing to fear.

The boat sailed and I felt the breeze on my face and my hair. It really was an amazing experience! Mr. Briney managed the boat masterfully. All his years as a sailor were noticeable. There were plenty of Wingull and Pelipper (which I registered in the Pokédex) flying over the boat and Peeko seemed happy to see other pokémon of her species. From time to time, I could see some Magikarp emerging to the surface of the water. The trip was really entertaining and I didn't feel sick at all.

After half an hour, we finally made it to Dewford Town, a small but beautiful place.

"Ahoy! We've hit land in Dewford. I suppose you're off to the gym and then to deliver the letter! Can I ask for who is it the letter?" Mr. Briney said.

"Ah, the letter is for someone named Steven." I informed him.

"Well then, good luck with your gym battle!" He cheered. Mr. Briney is a very jolly person.

"Thank you!" I said and I walked away from the dock.

I decided that it was time to make a call to my parents. I wanted to tell them all the amazing things that happened so far. This was like, the third call I made on the entire journey. I dialed my mom's number.

"Mom?"

"Is that you, Emily?" My mother asked from the other side of the phone.

"Yes! How are you?" I asked.

"I'm fine! What about you?" My mom wanted to know.

" I'm doing really good. Yesterday I won my first badge and…" I had to separate the phone from my ear because my mom left go a loud "WOOOOOOOOO!"

"And what else?!" She asked excitedly.

"Now I'm at Dewford Town to battle the second gym leader and to deliver a letter."

"You are going to battle the next gym leader already? And who sends the letter?" She asked with curiosity.

"You see, yesterday I helped a Devon Corporation employee, and then the president, Mr. Stone, gave me the letter for somebody named Steven." I mentioned.

"Mr. Stone, the president of Devon Corporation? You're a lucky girl!" she marveled "You gonna go far, ki…" she suddenly got interrupted.

"EMILY?"

"Dad, I'm not deaf! How are you doing?"

"I'm fine! What is that I heard that you have deals with the president of Devon Corporation?" He boomed excitedly.

"Hahaha, I have no deals. It's just that I helped one of his employees. And also he wants me to deliver a letter to some person named Steven." I explained to him.

"Aah, that's nice. Who knows, maybe you can get to work for Devon and make lots of money! That would be fanta…" Now it was my dad the one getting interrupted.

"Emily?! Are you still there?" My mom asked elated.

"Yes." I responded.

"I hope you kick the gym leader's ass!" She proclaimed and I couldn't help but laugh. My parents are very funny!

"Well, I'm going to leave the call there. I'm going to kick the gym leader's ass." I said quoting my mother. Then I said goodbye to both my mom and my dad and I hung up.

I stretched and I left go a little grunt. Some people was heading towards the beach to relax, play or taking a bath. The day was sunny and very hot, that's the usual weather in Hoenn. Without further ado, I entered the gym. It was pretty different from the one in Rustboro City; this one looked like… well, a gym. There were things such as treadmills and halters. There was just one person, he was doing crunches.

"Err… hello?" I doubted.

"Hello! Are you a new challenger?" He greeted cheerfully after standing up.

"Yes. I'm Emily." I introduced myself.

"I'm Brawly! Dewford's gym leader! I've been churned in the rough waves of these parts… And I've grown tough using the cave at the outskirts of this town as my training ground, as well as using the equipment of this gym. Well, if you want to challenge me, let's see what you're made of!" He finally said after his long speech.

"You'll see. Come on, Trevor!" I exclaimed.

"Go, Machop!" Brawley sent out his first pokémon.

"Trevor, start out using quick attack!" Trevor moved as fast as lightning and hit Brawly's Machop.

"It looks like you have put a lot of effort on training your pokémon, but we just started! Machop, use karate chop!" He said energetically and his Machop responded by hitting my pokémon in the head. Trevor lost his balance.

"Trevor you can do this! Use mega drain!" A beam of energy went from Machop to Trevor. He seemed to feel more awake. "Now use bullet seed!" I commanded, but Machop gracefully dodged the attack.

"Machop, use bulk up and then hit him like a wave!" Brawly exclaimed.

Brawly's Machop flexed his arms and his body soon was surrounded by a magenta aura. He was so focused that it was almost a pity to attack him, but I wanted to win this battle.

"Trevor, use bullet seed!" I ordered, some seeds could hit the rival pokémon, but since we snapped him out of his state of absolute focus, he lunged at Trevor trying to punch him on the face, but something totally unexpected happened.

A white light surrounded Trevor and time seemed to stop; I could see how Trevor's figure slowly changed just before my eyes… he was evolving! My jaw dropped and Brawly and his Machop were as surprised as I was.

Finally, I could see Trevor's new appearance. I got my Pokédex out to check what kind of pokémon he had become. He evolved into Grovyle! He was now taller and a long leaf grew on his leaf. His tail became longer and three leafs grew on his wrists. Saying that I was excited is an understatement.

"Trevor! You evolved!" I stated the obvious as I hugged him.

"Well, now I have another disadvantage, I think… but that won't keep me from trying to surf this wave! Machop, use seismic toss!" Brawly's Machop grabbed Trevor and spun around in circles and, after what felt like forever, he finally left Trevor go, who flew across the room.

"Don't give up, Trevor! Show him what you are able to do now!" I encouraged him. Trevor stood up with difficulty. After that, the leaves on his wrists glowed red and he ran towards Machop. Trevor started to slash Machop repeatedly, but this attack didn't seem to deal a big damage.

"Machop, use karate chop!" Brawly ordered.

"Trevor, dodge it and use bullet seed!" Trevor avoided the attack with a swift movement and fired many glowing seeds at Brawly's Machop.

The last one mentioned vacillated a bit after falling, being finally defeated. I sighed in relief, this battle was lasting more than the one against Roxanne. Brawly noticed I was tired because he announced:

"That's not all; I still have one pokémon left. Go, Makuhita!" He released a little yellow pokémon that resembled a bag of sand.

I withdrew Trevor so he could rest; he already did a lot of the work. Now it was Taillow's turn, I wanted to test him in a gym battle. Plus, I knew he had an advantage over Makuhita.

"Go… Hershey! Yes, that's it, Hershey!" I suddenly found a name for Taillow, whose name would be Hershey from that moment.

"Makuhita, focus your energy and use bulk up!" He ordered his pokémon. Makuhita did the same as Machop. I took the opportunity to do something similar.

"Hershey, use double team!" Hershey moved very quickly until it looked there were like, twenty of them. Brawly was dumbfounded.

"Okey Makuhita, try to find the real one and use arm thrust!"After looking for a while at the multiple Hershey that spawned from the attack, he went randomly for one of them.

"Wing attack!" I simply ordered. Makuhita didn't have time to react and my Hershey powerfully hit him on the face with his left wing.

"Impressive. But I won't lose! Makuhita, use sand attack!" Makuhita threw dust from the floor at Hershey's eyes. Soon enough, Hershey complained screeching his heart out. It was pretty upsetting seeing him like that. "And now use knock off!" Makuhita slapped Hershey and took him down to the floor. Makuhita approached Hershey with the intention of keeping on hitting him, but I reacted quickly.

"Hershey, don't give up! Use wing attack!" With a lot of effort, Hershey managed to stand up and take off. After that, with a quick movement, he repeatedly hit Makuhita with both of his wings. Next, he landed on my head just to watch how Makuhita fainted.

"Whoa, wow! You made a much bigger splash than I expected! You swamped me! Okay, you've got me. Please, take this gym badge!" He offered me the badge, which looked like a boxing glove.

I thanked him and I headed towards the Pokémon center in order to heal my pokémon. I didn't use Berry because I wanted her to rest a bit, but I would train her in order to take down easily the next gym leader, who I didn't have no idea who could it be because Brawly didn't tell me anything.

The next step was delivering the letter from Mr. Stone to that guy named Steven. I wonder who he could be. Maybe an employee who was here on vacation and had to know something important? I had no idea, but at the moment the only thought was my new victory against a gym leader. However, I decided I'd take things easy; my intention was waiting a bit until challenging the next leader. If not, I might have become the champion in a week!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Mail girl**

"Que será, será". That's what I was asking to myself while I was looking for Steven, the person that, according to Mr. Stone, had to receive the letter I carried in my bag. I was also carrying the package from Devon Corporation. I felt more like a mail woman than like a pokémon trainer!

I walked all Dewford Town asking if they knew someone named Steven, but nobody seemed to know anyone by that name. Arceus, he's related to Devon Corporation! How come nobody knew anything about that person? I honestly wanted to leave the letter in a random place and head towards Slateport City, but I had to do this for Mr. Stone and it would have been very rude from me not delivering it.

Suddenly I thought about something: maybe Brawly could tell me who Steven was or at least, where could I find him. So I decided to return to the gym.

"Brawly, can you help me?" I asked politely.

"Emily! Yes, what is it?" He answered me.

"You see, I've been looking for a while for someone named Steven, I must give a letter to him, and I don't know where he can be." I explained to him.

"Steven? I think I know who you are talking about. Knowing him, he must be at the Granite Cave. You will find it at the outskirts of the town." Brawly indicated.

"Good, thanks a lot!" I said before leaving the gym faster than lightning.

I exited Dewford Town and I found along the way a pair of trainers. Lucky me, they all used water type pokémon, so I could defeat them easily thanks to my recently evolved Trevor. When I finally found what I was pretty sure it was Granite Cave, I sighed in relief. I was starting to feel tired and I had been scratching my left arm the last two minutes, it was insanely red and it hurt a lot.

I entered the cave and there was a hiker. Could he be Steven?

"Hi! By any chance, are you Steven?"

"No, my name is Arthur." He calmly responded.

After apologizing, I looked around and I spotted an entrance to another room in the cave. I had to go down some steps to reach it, but that wasn't a problem for me. When I finally entered the room of the cave, the first I saw were huge and ancient paintings on the walls.

And the second thing I saw was a man talking out loud to himself.

"Mh-hmm. So in the ancient world, their primal forms once held this much power…? The super-ancient pokémon… What terrible strength… But this appearance here… It seems somehow different from Mega Evolution… Hmm… It seems my questions won't be answered today." He went on and on about something like this while contemplating the ancient paintings for about two minutes, until I decided to go and pat his shoulder.

"Hi! Oh…" OH MY ARCEUS. NO BLINKING WAY! "It looks like I've found Steven." I said to myself. And he was nothing more and nothing less than the young man I saw the previous day!

"Hi! Are you okay?" He asked aware of my surprised reaction.

"Yes! I'm fine, I'm fine. Are you Steven, by any chance?" I questioned although I already knew the answer.

"Yes, that's me. And you are…?" He said with a lovely smile that could revive a fainted pokémon.

"I'm Emily and I'm on a journey. I just defeated Brawly." I didn't know if what I said made sense or not. I was just nervous.

"I see. It's a pleasure Emily. How long have you been there?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I was confused.

"Here, in the cave. You did hear me talking alone, right?" He laughed.

"Yes, but it's not a problem!" I answered laughing too.

"My apologies. I'm interested on rare stones so I travel here and there, and today my journey brought me here. And what about you, are you exploring the town now that you defeated the leader?" He was being very friendly towards me and we just met. I felt really comfortable, to be honest.

"Well, the truth is that I have a letter for you." I said while reaching the epistle to him.

"Oh, a letter for me? Why, thank you… It must have been some trouble to track me down." He said.

"Do you want to hear the truth? I walked the whole town looking for you!" I laughed after finishing the sentence.

The best part is that I didn't laugh alone. He laughed with me. And sharing a good laugh is one of the better experiences in the world, trust me.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenient, Emily." He told me after stopping laughing.

"It wasn't an inconvenience at all." I assured calmly.

"If you don't mind me asking… Do you feel anything in particular when you look up at this wall?" He said pointing towards the ancient drawings that caught my eye in the first place.

"I think I recognize it. These are Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza. But, don't they look different?" They didn't look nothing like the pokémon I always saw on the illustrations of the books.

"That's right! A primal world lost thousand of years in the past… A legendary pokémon of tremendous power became humanity's greatest threat… The terror aroused by that power is clear to see in this ancient artwork… Yes, but not all power is terrible. Your pokémon are clearly quite capable as well. You defeated Brawly, after all! Looking at you all together I think that you have in you what it takes to become a Pokémon League Champion. As long as you keep training, that is." He expressed.

"Exactly. The most important is training with your pokémon to become stronger. If not, you can't get anywhere." I declared. Obviously, I couldn't be a champion with my current skills.

"That's it. Well Emily, I must be going now. Good luck to you!" He said while leaving towards the exit of the room.

"I hope to see you around!" I exclaimed all of sudden.

"Me too. Goodbye!" He said.

"Bye…" I mumbled.

I really liked that guy. At first glance he seemed a bit stuck up, but appearances deceive A LOT. I decided that it was time to keep going, I didn't know how many time I spent standing alone in the middle of that room, with the paintings of the three legendary pokémon as audience. Plus, poor Mr. Briney might be tired of waiting during such a long time! I made it back to Dewford Town in no time.

"Hello Mr. Briney! I'm done with all the tasks!" I joked.

"Ahoy! For you, I'll go out to sea anytime! Now, my friend, where are we bound?" He asked as cheerfully as always.

"Let's go to Slateport City, please." I said.

"Slateport, is it? Anchors aweigh! Peeko, we're setting sail, my darling!" He announced.

During the trip, I told him about the battle against Brawly, my meeting with Steven and the most important; I told him that my starter pokémon evolved. He shown happiness towards the good news and told me that seeing your first pokémon evolving is just like seeing your children growing up. I concur. He also informed that he happened to know Captain Stern, the person whom I had to deliver the package to.

After a while, we made it to Route 109. The landscape was pretty; there was a small beach and it was full of people relaxing and playing. These days of the beginning of the spring were pretty hot. Again, in Hoenn it's not usual to walk around in winter wearing short pants.

"Ahoy! We've hit made land in Slateport! I suppose you're going to visit Captain Stern and deliver the Devon goods, am I right?" Mr. Briney asked once we arrived to the dock.

"That's right. I hope I can find him soon." I actually had no rush, I planned to stay a week on Slateport City in order to rest and training my pokémon a bit more, but I wanted to deliver the pieces soon, so I had one thing less to worry about.

Once I step off of the boat, I went straight to Slateport City. I'd might go to the beach later, but at that moment I had other things to do. Mr. Briney told me to go to Stern's Shipyard, because he was sure he was there at the moment, After all, according to Mr. Briney they've known each other for a long time and the best place to find an old sea dog like Stern would be the shipyard which, to add more, even had his name on it.

I entered Stern's Shipyard but apparently it was empty, no one was to be seen. I saw some stairs and I decided to climb them. Let's see if there's someone up there…

Bingo. I found a man sorting papers. I cleared my throat to make him aware of my presence.

"Hi! Are you Captain Stern?" That day not only I was a mail girl, but I also was a detective trying to find out people's identity! How cool is that?

"Hi! No, I'm Dock. Captain Stern commissioned me to design a ferry." He introduced himself.

"Oh well. I have there these…" The man named Dock suddenly interrupted me.

"Oh! Are they Devon goods? But, hmm… This won't do… Captain Stern went off somewhere. He said he had some work to do. Could I get you to go find Captain Stern and deliver that to him?" He asked handing the pieces back to me.

"Of course! There's no problem." I responded. Now I had to seek for someone… again. It's not like it was a bother to me, but when you don't know where that person might be, it can be tiring.

But this time, that wasn't the case. I was convinced that he was at the Oceanic Museum. Where else I could find a true sea lover? Or at least, according to what Mr. Briney told me during the trip to Slateport, he is.

I walked towards the Oceanic Museum. I remember going there with my school partners during a school trip, but that was so many time ago, I think I was like seven years-old.

I made my entrance to the museum and I paid the ticket. The place was pretty quiet, there were a few people here and there, and it was pretty calm… as the sea itself. And now I think I just made a very corny comparison!

But, for my surprise, some of these people were Team Aqua grunts. Argh! What were they doing there? Oh wait, if they are Team Aqua, they might be interested in water, or in the ocean for that matter. How can I be so dumb? For a brief moment, I wanted to slam my head in a wall.

I went to the first floor, taking care of not being noticed by the Team Aqua grunts. I honestly didn't want to be annoyed by them. Anyway, who wants to deal with the members of a criminal organization?

The first floor was almost empty too, save for four persons here and there observing the models of several boats that were build in different regions. I started to examine them, until I noticed someone dressed in a different way than the other people in the room. No, it wasn't a Team Aqua member; he was an old man wearing a brown suit and a fedora of the same color. Could he be Captain Stern? I approached him.

"Hi? Are you Captain Stern, by any chance?" I asked politely.

"Yes! If you're looking for Stern, that would be me." He answered.

"Nice! I have this for you!" I said reaching for the package in my bag.

"Ah! Those must be the parts I ordered from Mr. Stone at Devon. Thank you for bringing the case all this way. Now we can prepare for our expedition at last!" He was going to leave, but something happened… "Wh-what was that? Who are you people?!" They were Team Aqua grunts. Oh boy… would they ever stop harassing people?

I fought them as I always did. But this time was different, they were much stronger. They even made Berry faint. Until that day, none of my pokémon fainted. But there's a first time for everything, even for the bad stuff. When I finally defeated the grunts and I thought everything was over, yet another strange person joined us…

A man appeared from the stairs, his appearance was imposing to say the least; a very tall and muscular guy, with an entirely blue outfit matching the color scheme of the grunt's clothes. His skin was tan and he had strange marks on his face. He also was wearing a blue scarf on his head and an enormous gold necklace that made me wonder how he could keep his head straight.

He approached us with firm steps and, I must admit, I feared him a bit.

"What do we have here? I came to see what was taking so long just to steal a few parts, and I find you simps getting beat by this little girl?" He barked while pointing towards me. I didn't dare to say anything, but I tried to look determined and brave.

"But we did everything we could!" One of the grunts replied.

"Yes, we even managed to faint one of her pokémon!" The other said with a shaky voice.

"Shut up!" He said to the grunts. Then he approached me. "Heh! That's quite a fierce expression for such a little wee. That face tells me you're not just another mindless brat." He said arrogantly.

"No, I'm not." I dared to say.

"Heh. What a brave kid. The name is Archie, and you are…?" He questioned.

"My name is Emily." I responded looking at him right in the eyes.

"I see… The rough-looking lot you see here are members of my team… Team Aqua." So this Archie guy was the leader of Team Aqua… "So tell me, boyo… Do you know that pokémon, people and all life in this world depend on the sea for life?" He asked glaring at me.

"Yes. Isn't water indispensable for life?" I responded with another question.

"That's right! The sea is an irreplaceable treasure for every living being in this planet. But with our selfish extravagance, humanity dirties the great ocean, destroying this source of all life… Day by day, we're all destroying our most precious resource! If we humans suffer from our actions, well, maybe we'll end up getting what we deserve. But what about the Pokémon in our world? The Pokémon that no longer have a place to live because we stole and soiled their seas? The Pokémon that won't have a place to raise their young and watch them grow? We are creating a world in which innocent Pokémon suffer as a result of our actions… And that is something that I can't forgive! That's why I came to a decision, see? The foolish actions of my fellow humans, the seas we have blighted, nature itself… I will return everything to its unspoiled beginnings!" After such a long speech, he took a deep breath and said "Heh! It's not

like me to talk so much. Never mind, little scamp… I'll withdraw for now and I'll let you be. But understand this…" He approached me a little too much "Get in my way again, and you won't walk away unscathed next time. Remember that, at least!"

After that, he ordered his grunts to move out. I was confused by his speech. Archie had good intentions, but he didn't know how to develop them, Archie was what they call an extremist. Captain Stern got me out of my thoughts.

"Young lady…"

"Oh, my name is Emily." I told him.

"Ah, Emily. That was quite a tense situation! Thank you for helping me out!" He chirped.

"The pieces…" I remembered him.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot that you brought the parts from Devon!" He saved the package on a bag and then grabbed it "This is it! I can't be standing around there! It's finally time for us to set out on our ocean-floor expedition! Thanks for this, and excuse me!" After that, he left as quickly as lightning.

Phew! What an intense day… I had so many things on my mind, from Granite Cave to Archie's speech… That surely was a crazy day. But now, it was time to relax!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: A day at the contests**

Slateport City is a great place to relax! I couldn't choose a better place for making a pause in my journey. There are many things to do; you can go to the market, visit the Oceanic Museum, going to the beach located in the adjacent Route 109, visiting the Pokémon Fan Club… or going to the Pokémon Contest Hall.

I've never paid much attention to all this subject of the pokémon contests. Sometimes I would see them on the TV. Yes, they were interesting and it was entertaining to see the way people dressed for the occasion, but I never thought about joining one. But that day I was going to be dragged into one… well, not as a contestant. Just as audience!

It was my second day in Slateport and I was exiting the market. I bought some goods for me and my pokémon, and a plush for my parents that I was going to send them via mail. I wanted to go to the beach, but a fuss of people caught my attention:

There was a crowd accumulated at the entrance of the Contest Hall. Since I'm a very curious person, I wanted to find out what was happening and why there were so many people. Maybe they were giving away rare candies? But no: it wasn't candies what people were admiring with so much passion. There was a young, blue haired girl. She was wearing a blue corset, white shorts with some sort of a skirt on top and light blue boots, all that combined with several fluffy white ornaments. Besides her was standing a beautiful blue and white pokémon which my Pokédex identified as Altaria. "It looks like we have a celebrity here" She spoke cheerfully to the crowd.

"Hiiiiii, ev-er-y-bo-dy! Lisia here! I and my Altaria, Ali, have come to Slateport City's Contest Spectacular Hall for a bit of fun!"

People cheered like crazy. I applauded a bit so I didn't seem unpleasant or something. That girl looked like had too much coffee that morning! I heard her happy speech until I spotted someone familiar, a guy in a yellow jacket. I couldn't resist.

"Josh?" I said while patting his shoulder.

"Whoa! Don't scare me! Oh, it's you…" He didn't look very happy to see me. I wasn't very happy either. Well, I was neutral.

"I didn't know you were into contests!" I exclaimed. Was he going to participate? I wouldn't want to miss that!

"And I'm not… I just came with my parents to support my little sister. She's the one participating." And then he lowered his voice "And I also came to see Lisia…"

"WHAT?" I yelled in purpose.

"Don't scream like that! You sound like a scared Tepig!" He tried to be funny.

"So you bring your sister there as an excuse to see Lisia, right?" I teased him.

"N-no… Yes… NO! Shirley!" He got very agitated.

So Josh has a crush on a celebrity? Huehuehue that made my day! After some seconds, a young girl in her very early teens appeared. She was wearing an apple green dress and two pigtails tied with a bow that matched the color of her dress.

"Emily, this is my little sister Shirley. She's going to participate in a contest today." He explained, still blushing.

"Hi! Do you know my brother?" Shirley asked. She looked by far nicer than her brother. Altought Josh is not a bad guy. He's just a bit too snobbish.

"Yes, we battle sometimes." We just battled once, but I encountered him a couple of times already.

"Ah, that's good! What's your name, by the way?" The young girl questioned.

"My name is Emily!" I responded happily.

"Nice to meet you, Emily! Now I gotta get going, I must be ready for the contest!" She chirped. Then she asked Josh where their parents were and he said that they'd be there soon. Then she left.

Shirley is nothing like her older brother! Before I could realize, Josh was no longer there. Guess where he was now? Yes, he was with Lisia. She was signing an autograph to him and then they took a selfie together, in which Ali also appeared. His face said all; he couldn't be happier, he was besides his crush! I bet that it was an amazing feeling.

After that, a man came from outside the hall and announced that it was time to enter. He called all the participants to the dressing room. Many people murmured and they entered the big building. But the super star of the show didn't enter. Instead, she walked towards me… Why all the strange things happen to me?!

"Hiiiii!" She chirped like a Pidgey "I couldn't avoid but notice your baffled expression. I take it you've never experienced something like this."

"Well, I used to watch contests on television, but I never seen one on live." I expressed.

"Oh well, I understand you. Contests are very exciting events that congregate thousands of people and pokémon! Hey, why don't you come with me?" She asked cheerfully.

"As a contestant?" I asked doubtfully.

"Only if you want to! You can sit with the crowd instead. Does it appeal to you?" She closed the last sentence with a cute pose.

"Yes! I have nothing to do; I'm on a pause on my journey. This will be funny." I said while reaching for my wallet in order to pay the entrance.

"No no no no no! Don't worry about that. I will pay your entrance!" She cheered while doing a little dance.

"Well… thank you!" I was totally puzzled.

"One more thing. Just in case someday you want to participate in a contest, this might be useful to you!" She gave me a candy tube.

"Are these candies?" I asked innocently.

"No! They're more than candies; they are Pokéblocks. Pokéblocks help you to improve your pokémon appeal. Of course, you can taste them too!" She blinked. Then she led me to the entrance of the Contest Hall and paid my ticket. "The contest will start soon. Why don't you go and take a seat?" She advised.

"Yes. I'll try to take a good seat." I stated.

Wow, that girl had the energy of a cyclone! I've never met anyone like her. But I guess journeys like this are for that; meeting new people and having new experiences.

When I found the entry for the room were the contest was taking place I was amazed: there were thousands of people chatting and betting who would win the contest, and the scenery was carefully decorated with bulbs of different colors, pink and orange platforms and many ribbons.

I went down the stairs trying to find a free seat, which seemed impossible. But if got to buy a ticket, that meant that they still had available seats so, what could go wrong? I looked around the entire place when my eyes finally spotted an empty place. I walked towards it as fast as I could. It was in the middle of the row, so the people sitting reluctantly had to make place for me one way or another. When I finally sat down, someone next to me exploded:

"YOU!" I literally jumped from my chair. When I turned my head to the right I discovered who yelled; it was no other than Josh.

"Hello Josh. I'm as pleased as you are." I said sarcastically.

"Well, maybe I've been too harsh but, why do you have to sit next to me? Do you want to learn something from me?" He chuckled.

"No, I came to watch the spectacle. Lisia invited me." I said emphasizing the girl's name.

"Lisia invited you?" He asked surprised. I could sense some jealousy in his voice, huehuehue.

"Yes, she invited me." I repeated.

After that, a middle aged couple appeared and occupied the two empty seats next to him.

"Ah, thank Arceus we arrived in time!" The woman said.

"See Ingrid? I told you we would make it! How long have you been there waiting, Josh?" The man asked Josh.

"Not too long. It looks like it's about to start!" He said happily.

"Nice! By the way Josh, who is that girl you were talking to?" The woman asked. Was she referring to me?

Josh stared at me for two seconds and announced:

"She's Emily, my rival. By the way, these are my parents." He told me.

Nice! Now we were officially rivals!

"Hi!" I said kindly to both.

"Nice to meet you!" The mother greeted.

"I hope you are a challenge to my son." The father stated.

Shortly after that, a voice-over announced the start of the show and asked people to remain as silent as possible. Then, a happy music began to play and the same voice announced one by one the names of the contestants and their pokémon. There was a girl with an Amaura, a pokémon I never heard of. "They are probably from another region" I said to myself. But what I had clear is that it was a truly beautiful pokémon. Victoria was her nickname. When they arrived to Josh's little sister, he went crazy; he started to clap wildly and went "Wooohoooo!" but I understand that, it's his sister, after all. And her pokémon was a cute little Pansage. I applauded and I could feel that Josh was side eyeing me, but I didn't care!

Next came a boy and his Gyarados and then, suddenly lights went off and the voice-over boomed through the speakers:

"Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to meet one of the most talented lady ever and her inseparable pokémon. Let's receive with a big applause our guest stars… Lisia and Ali!"

People literally went crazy; most of the crowd stood up and they began to clap their hands like if they were possessed. Of course, Josh was one of them. Before starting to clap, I stood up too. I didn't want to be ungrateful; she resolved to pay my ticket, after all! Lisia and Ali reverenced several times and the girl blew kisses to the audience.

After that, the same voice-over introduced the jury and announced the start of the performances. The first ones to grace the audience were the young woman and her Amaura.

"Victoria, use icy wind!" The girl ordered with a graceful gesture and after that, the little pokémon blew a cloud of sparkly blue snow from her mouth. I honestly felt impressed; the Amaura executed the movement with a lot of elegance. I couldn't help but applaud slightly before the rest of the audience started to do it.

Next it was Ingrid's turn; she entered the stage with a lot of confidence. It was evident that, despite her young age, she already was quite experienced in the fields of pokémon contests.

"Let's go Clover, use seed bomb!" The little monkey pokémon focused and after that, a green light formed on his hands and became a seed. Then he proceeded to throw it to ground, causing an impressive explosion of green sparkles. The crowd applauded with enthusiasm, but specially Josh and their parents. Of course, I clapped too. Her performance was awesome!

The next contestant was the guy dressed just like a rock star and his Gyarados. Their presence was imposing and the viewers went silent before bursting into cheers, which I joined just for the sake of it. I really was enjoying watching a contest on live!

"Beast, use dragon rage!" The trainer hollered with energy. The Gyarados focused his energy and created a cyclone, which he sent swirling towards the center of the stage. It was incredible! I joined the spectators as they began to applaud the performance.

And finally, the moment everyone was expecting arrived; Lisia and her Altaria, Ali, entered together the stage for the delight of the audience, whom stood up once more. This girl surely was loved, and I'm sure that her personality had much to do with that.

"Thank you, thank you! Now Ali, use perish song!" Everything went completely silent for a moment. Then, Ali elevated into the air leaving a trail of golden sparks behind and immediately began to sing a hauntingly beautiful melody, as Lisia danced around. My jaw dropped in amazement. I couldn't tell which my favourite performance was. I liked all them so far!

A loud applause erupted in the crowd. Many people cheered and whistled. Of course, Josh was one of them. Meanwhile, Ali finished his song and Lisia blew kisses to the audience, and I could see Josh pretending he catched one.

The turns ran one after one, with remarkable performances; Victoria the Amaura made an impressive ice sculpture out of an ice beam, Ingrid's Pansage used fury swipes on a watermelon, Beast the Gyarados tried to roar as loud as possible but, unfortunately, it sounded way too hoarse. And Ali, Lisia's Altaria, used an attack called dazzling gleam. A bright white light surrounded him during a minute, in which he executed a very cute dance.

After all the contestants exhibited, a man in a tuxedo appeared in the stage.

"Well, everybody did a great job! It has been too hard for the jury to decide the classification. But, here it goes: are you ready?!" He asked with enthusiasm. We the spectators responded affirmatively, with the same energy. "Weeeell… In the fourth place we have Mark and Beast, his Gyarados!" The guy and his pokémon weren't very pleased, but they saluted the public anyway. "In the third place, we have Audrey and Victoria, her Amaura!" They made a reverence to the audience. They seemed to agree with the result. "And now, in the second place, we have Ingrid and Clover, her Pansage!" The young girl saluted as well. The ones who applauded louder were, of course, Ingrid's family. Josh even cheered a bit. "And finally, the moment that everyone waited. Our winners are… Lisia and Ali, her Altaria!"

Once more, people went completely nuts. I swear I even saw someone standing on his seat. A woman behind me was screaming her lungs out:

"LISIAAAAA! ALIIIIII! YOU'RE THE BEST!"

Lisia saluted the public and posed like a model, aware that many people were taking pictures. Ali posed for the pictures as well. I could sense they had a strong bond. I wondered if I could get to form a bond like that with my pokémon…

After everybody left the room, I saw Josh walking towards me. "What will he say now?" I wondered. Maybe he was going to ask me to not tell anyone about his crush on Lisia or something.

"Emily! I saw you were enjoying yourself during the contest." He stated. And he was right, I had lots of fun!

"So were you. Especially with your sister's AND Lisia's turn." I responded.

"Yes. My sister and her pokémon are incredible performers. I guess the talent to train pokémon runs in the family!" He boasted as usually.

"Yeah… How does a battle sound to you right now?" I proposed.

"Nah, right now the idea doesn't appeal to me. But the next time we will battle… and I will defeat you!" He promised. "Now I gotta get going. Remember, the next time I'll battle you and I'll defeat you! Bye!"

"Bye Josh!"

I was going to leave when a female voice called for me.

"Hellooooo! I'm talking to yo-u!" I turned around and I saw it was Lisia who called me.

"Oh, hello. I didn't see you." I apologized.

"Don't worry! I saw you enjoyed the spectacle and I'm glad. By the way, you didn't tell me your name!" Lisia said.

"It's true! My name is Emily." She nodded and smiled.

"Nice to meet you Emily! I hope to see you again. And remember to use the Pokéblocks I gave you earlier. Byeeee!" She said very quickly. Being the star she is, I bet she had to go somewhere else.

"Good bye!" I said while she left.

Contests sure are entertaining. I still didn't want to participate in one myself, but I wanted to go to see them more often. Also, I'd try to give the Pokéblocks a try. Little did I know that soon I would find a use for them…


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Saved in the rain**

The day I left (or I wanted to leave) Slateport City many things happened. The eyes staring at me in the market can tell most of it…

I spent a week in Slateport resting with my pokémon and level grinding them in the nearest routes. I clearly remember how upset I felt when I woke up that day and I saw the sky was totally gray. I despise rainy days with a passion and also… I'm afraid of thunderstorms. I don't know where that comes from, but thunders always scared me, since I was a little girl.

I went to Slateport's Market to buy a few items. I didn't want to allow the weather to ruin my mood! I entered and everything seemed normal, like all the other days, until I noticed a crowd in front of one of the stands. I approached to see what was happening. It remembered me of the day of the contest, but this event wasn't fun or happy…

An angry man was holding by the tail a fish pokémon. I reached for my Pokédex in order to identify the creature.

" _While Feebas's body is in tatters, it has a hardy and tenacious life force that enables it to live anywhere. However, this Pokémon is also slow and dimwitted, making it an easy catch."_

The man was shaking that Feebas as it was a rag doll. His behavior was absolutely infuriating, and the creature was clearly suffering. In my opinion, no pokémon deserves to be treated like that! The people just watched and made comments to each other. Some even had the guts to laugh.

"Who wants this useless piece of trash? I'm giving it away, since it's so worthless. Although I should do a favor to the world and…" He had no time to finish his sentence. I approached him in a very unfriendly way.

"You! What gives you the right to do this to that pokémon?" I asked him furiously.

"And what gives you the right to talk to me like that?" He answered with another question, without stopping shaking the pokémon by her tail.

"What you are doing right now, that's what!" I responded defiantly. I turned to the crowd. "Who else thinks that this is WRONG?" Several people raised their hands. "Then, why aren't you doing nothing at all?!" I was really pissed off.

"Because… uh… we are afraid?" A male voice spoke shyly.

"Afraid of what? If you do like pokémon, then why are you allowing this? Guess what?" I said turning to the man holding the Feebas. "I'm taking it!"

"Really?" He asked surprised "But this pokémon is unable to do anything useful!"

"She can. She just has to be with the right person." I stated. And a few of the people watching the scene applauded. I felt a bit overwhelmed, but in a good sense. At least, people recognize justice when they see it!

The man offered me Feebas's Pokéball with a frown on his face, but I rejected it. I wouldn't keep my new partner in a Pokéball that might remind her of such an abusive trainer. Instead, I reached for one of my empty Pokéball and I threw it aiming at the fish like pokémon. It shook one, two and three times and then it was done. Feebas finally had a new trainer that would respect her!

"Everybody, go away! There's nothing else to see!" Feebas's former owner hollered at the crowd. People spread out all over the market, in the blink of an eye.

Of course, I walked away from that disgusting person as rapidly as I could. I also wanted to keep my new pokémon away from his former trainer although he shouldn't be considered one, because real trainers don't harm and humiliate they pokémon in public. I got Feebas's Pokéball out of my black bag. I could see her trough the red part of the device, so I spoke to her:

"From now on, I will call you Venus and I will make a prodigy out of you. I know you have the potential!" Venus seemed notably happier than moments before, when that poor excuse of a human was talking trash about her.

I saved Venus's Pokéball again in my bag. Just after that, it started to rain, much for my dismay. I quickly grabbed my green and white umbrella and I opened it. But wait, it gets better: I could hear the sound of thunders, and they were pretty loud. And I tell you, the louder the thunders are, the more I freak out.

I felt my legs as heavy as if they had iron balls attached, and that was noticeable when I tried to walk. People stared at me with a worried look, but no one approached to help me. Just like that guy in the market said, they were afraid. I could make it to the Market's exit, but there was another problem; I breathed heavily, and I felt a sharp pain on my chest. Was I going to die? Because that was exactly what I felt. My breath was even more difficult as time passed by, and I was starting to have problems to keep holding the umbrella.

A thunder roared loudly and I couldn't take it, my legs went numb for a second and I fell to the ground. But between all the daze I could hear a voice.

"Emily!" I swear I heard that voice before…

My vision was a bit blurry, but I could finally distinguish who it was… and it was Steven, the boy I met at Granite Cave some days before.

He helped me to get up by putting his left arm around my waist and helping me to put my right arm around his neck. I was surprised and I asked myself, out of all the people there, why would he want to help me, if we just met once? Maybe he's just that kind. But anyway, I couldn't stop focusing on the pain in my chest and I got startled every time a thunder was heard.

"Try to breathe slowly. I'm taking you to the Pokémon Center." He told me in a soft voice.

"Ah… w-where? The Pokémon Center?" I managed to mumble.

"Shhh… Focus on your breathing." Steven demanded.

We were walking as fast as my condition allowed us in order to not get soaked. It was raining and he closed his umbrella, while I dropped mine. Fortunately, the Pokémon Center was not too far away. Oddly, the sensation of the water falling against me was somewhat calming. But I was also worried about Steven; he might get a cold because of me.

Finally, we made it to the Pokémon Center. The nurse got alarmed when she saw us.

"What's happening?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"This person is having a panic attack." Steven said without losing his composure.

"This way." The nurse simply said. She led us to a small room.

The woman helped me to lie on the bed and put on me an oxygen mask, since I was still breathing with difficulty. Steven thanked the nurse and she told him to inform her if anything happened, and then she left letting the door ajar. The thunders where still raging outside and I would convulse due to the fright every now and then. When that happened, Steven who was sitting in a chair next to the bed would get closer to me.

"Ain't I dumb?" I asked out of the blue.

"What?" He didn't understand me at first. Having a mask on makes difficult talking clearly.

"I said… that I'm dumb." I stated again.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, I almost get a heart attack because of a frigging thunderstorm and you had to drag me there when surely you had to do more important stuff than helping out a coward like me." I ranted. That wasn't very usual on me, unless I was witnessing an injustice, like before with Venus.

"You don't have to worry about that. Today I have nothing to do, really. I just came here to visit a friend. I was just leaving his house when I saw you and I got very worried." He told me.

"And why would you worry about me?" I asked. If I was sounding hostile, that wasn't my intention. I was just curious.

"Well, I already know you from Granite Cave. And I didn't want to leave you there, in that condition." Steven exposed.

I felt grateful for his help, but I didn't dare to express it. That felt really awkward, I'm telling you! But I did tell him what caused that setback.

"Steven, I'm going to tell you something. But promise you won't laugh at me." I said the second sentence lowering my voice tone like a shy little girl.

"I promise. Tell me." He assured.

"What happened to me is because… Uh… I suffer from brontophobia. Simply put, I'm scared of thunder." I explained to Steven.

"That's a common phobia. I don't see why you should be ashamed. But, did you ever have an episode like this one?" He asked. Well, his answer calmed me a bit.

"Back when I was a child, I had two of them." I said.

Outside, the storm remitted, or at least that's what it looked like because I couldn't hear the rain anymore. I could breathe easily and the pain on my chest was considerably relieved, although I felt exhausted. I lay on my side carefully, while Steven looked at me in order to watch out for any sign of pain or distress, but I felt fine. I gazed into his eyes for a couple of seconds, but I had to look away. Sometimes I can't like directly to people's eyes because I feel a bit awkward, but with Steven the sensation was different. I couldn't explain it, it was pleasingly uncomfortable…

The minutes passed and I felt ready to leave the Pokémon Center. I told Steven and he left to notify the nurse. After a couple of minutes, he returned accompanied by the young woman, who removed my oxygen mask and told me that I was finally good to go. Those were great news!

When we stepped out of the building, the sky was still gray but some parts were cloudless and some sun rays peeked out shyly. And just that moment I remembered something:

"My umbrella!"

I don't know how, but I managed to run to the market. But, as you can imagine, when I arrived I felt like I just ran a marathon. I was too weak to do that, but I didn't care at the moment. And guess what I found upon arriving the market? My umbrella was no longer there!

"Damn it!" I protested.

"What's wrong, Emily?" Steven had followed me!

"Someone took my umbrella away." I whined. He seemed to think about something for a moment.

"Here, you can take my umbrella." He offered.

"No way! It's your umbrella. Thank you." I refused politely.

"So? I can buy another one." He insisted.

"Well, I can buy another one for myself!" I insisted too.

"Please, accept it! You lost it because of me." He said again.

"Fine, I'll take it!" I said pretending to be angry. Since this one also was one of these you can fit in your bag, I saved it on mine.

We remained silent for a moment. I still could feel a bit of discomfort on my chest, but it was nothing compared with the throbbing pain I felt earlier.

"I guess it's time to leave…" Steven said "Let me give you my phone number." That statement caught me by surprise.

"Why?" I asked puzzled.

"I'll call you later to verify you're fine." He answered. What a sweet guy!

We exchanged our phone numbers and after that, we said goodbye to each other. But what happened next surprised me: he released from one of his Pokéball a metallic bird pokémon and left the place, flying on his back. I wondered if I could do that with Hershey in the future. The thought really amused me!

My intention was to leave for Mauville City, but because of what happened, I determined that it would be more prudent to stay a day more in Slateport. And to think that there were going to be even more intense moments…


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Rivals clash**

The way to Mauville City was relatively quiet, save for an inopportune encounter, which wasn't a bother after all! But first, let me talk about what happened the night before that. Remember that the day before Steven gave me his phone number, and said that he would call me to check if I was doing fine? Well, he kept his word and called me that night.

I was getting my bag ready for the next day; that was my last night in Slateport City. When I was about to finish, the phone rang. I picked up the phone directly, without looking who it was.

"Hello?" I greeted.

"Emily?" A familiar voice answered. It was Steven.

"Oh, hello Steven! How are you?"

"I'm fine. But what about you? I called to see if you are okay." He answered.

"I'm okay. I even took a nap, it was very much needed. The whole ordeal has left me exhausted!" I stated in a friendly way.

"Good! I'm glad to hear that. I hope you feel even better tomorrow so you can continue with your journey." His words made me smile. I didn't consider him a friend because we didn't know each other that much, but he wasn't a stranger anymore.

"Don't worry! Tomorrow I'm going to Mauville City to challenge the gym leader." I announced.

"Ah, then you are going to face Wattson!" Steven answered "He's a specialist in electric types."

"Cool! One of my pokémon has advantage over him, then. But I bet he's very strong." I said cheerfully.

"Yes, he is. Well Emily, I'm going to have dinner. I hope you sleep well." Steven said at the other side.

"Thank you. I hope you sleep well too. Bye!"

"Bye!"

And after that, I hung up the phone. I felt grateful towards Steven; he was caring for me when he didn't have to. And that's admirable, don't you think?

Well, now I'm going back to tell what happened in my way to Mauville City!

I exited Slateport City towards Route 110. I already knew the place because I spent the last week training my pokémon between there and Route 109, so it wasn't new to me. In Route 110, there are two ways to arrive Mauville City: you can walk through the grass or you can go through a bike track, which makes the way considerably shorter. But, since I had no bike at the time, I had to walk the normal path.

I was walking happily, but something disturbed me a bit: I spotted a bunch of Team Aqua grunts talking to each other, and I remembered the speech that Archie, the man at Slateport's Museum, delivered me. Apparently, he wanted to expand the water in order to protect the sea life. He had good intentions, but his solution was completely foolish!

"Why don't we make a stop on Mauville City? We can take a rest there." One of the grunts proposed. The others accepted and then they left. I waited until they were considerably far away to keep with my way, I didn't want to get involved with them yet again!

I turned right in order to arrive to my destination. The landscape was amazing; the route was surrounded by the sea and I could see some Wingull and Pelipper flying over the area. It was a truly beautiful sight! And plus, unlike the previous day, it was totally cloudless and the temperature was very pleasant. And the smell of the sea just made everything better!

I was walking, focusing on my surroundings when suddenly I noticed someone: it was my rival, Josh. He was fishing, waiting patiently to catch something. I decided to go and greet him, although I knew he wouldn't be pleased. But that was the fun part huehuehue!

"Hello Josh!" I said after arriving where he was.

"Oh, you! Can't you see that I'm trying to catch a good pokémon?" He protested, as I imagined.

"Don't be rude, when someone says hello, you must say hello back!" I teased him.

"What do you want?" He asked visibly annoyed.

"Remember what you told me last time we met? You said that the next time we would battle." I reminded him.

Suddenly, Josh got up and saved his fishing rod. Then, he grabbed one of the pokéballs from his bag very eagerly.

"It's true! And I also told you that I would make you bite the dust! Ready to see how much I improved?" He challenged me.

"Of course! But I warn you, that I improved a lot too. May the best win!" I expressed sincerely.

"That's me!" He said with a sassy expression.

Finally we released our pokémon from their pokéballs. I sent out Trevor while Josh sent to the battle his starter pokémon, who had evolved into a Marshtomp. I knew he had a nickname, but I couldn't remember what it was! But then I remembered something; I also released Venus from her pokéball and I left her gently in the water. I wanted Venus to watch the battle so she could learn something. She simply stayed there, watching us with curiosity.

"Wow, you've got a Feebas?" Josh asked surprised.

"Yes, it's a short long story; a bastard was humiliating her publically in Slateport's Market and I decided to keep Feebas to liberate her from that terrible trainer, and now I'm training her. Ah, her name is Venus, by the way." I explained.

"Oh well…" He talked again after a pause "I see your starter also evolved, but who will turn out to be more powerful?" He asked.

"I don't know, how about if we start the battle right now? Come on, I grant you the first move!" I offered.

"Cool! Finnegan, use mud shot!" Finnegan fired a huge ball of mud at Trevor from his mouth. My pokémon tried to clean the dirt from his eyes, but Josh took advantage. "Now, use bubble beam!" A beam of blue bubbles was fired at a high speed towards my Trevor, which made him fall, but he could stand up again very quickly.

"That was a good move! But I won't allow that to discourage me." I manifested "Trevor, use leaf blade!" I commanded to my pokémon. The three leaves on his right forearm glowed white and combined into one long, sharp blade. After that, he slashed Finnegan with it. The attack was very effective and left Finnegan considerably damaged.

"I see your pokémon has powerful moves too. But you haven't seen anything yet! Finnegan, use mud bomb!" Josh's Marshtomp opened his mouth wide and shot out big balls of mud.

"Trevor, dodge it!" Although he avoided most of them, some of the mud balls hit Trevor, but they didn't seem to affect him very much. "Now, use mega drain!" And, as he did many other times, he executed the attack and for my relief, he defeated Finnegan.

"Ha! It looks like you are actually pretty good. I should have a strategy regarding Finnegan for the next time. But now, you won't be so lucky! Go, Beowulf!" Right after that, he released a ferocious looking pokémon; it was a Mightyena.

"That pokémon is very impressive! But that won't make me back down! Trevor, use leaf blade again!" Trevor executed the attack just like the previous time and he slashed Beowulf, the Mightyena. Meanwhile, I glanced at Venus to assure that she was watching and indeed, she was.

"Beowulf, use ice fang!" Josh said very sure of himself. I watched astonished as the black and silver pokémon bit down on Trevor as a white mist began to seep out of the Mightyena's mouth. When he finished, Trevor fainted. The power of the attack really surprised me, I knew that ice types are super effective against grass types, but I didn't expect that!

"Return, Trevor!" I said as I withdrew him "You did a good job." I assured to him, talking to the pokéball. Then I stared at Josh.

"Ha! You didn't see that one coming, huh? I told you that I got even better!" He boasted "Do you have any other pokémon left?" He asked. Did he really think that I only had one pokémon?

"Of course I have more! What did you expect?" I said defiantly while I reached for Hershey's pokéball. It was risky, because flying types are also weak against ice types. But I was sure that Beowulf wasn't going to use only ice fang, was he? "Come on, Hershey!"

"A Taillow? That's quite a good choice, I must say." Josh spoke as if he was an expert. "Beowulf, use ice fang again!"

"Dodge it!" I said quickly, and Hershey avoided the attack with a swift move. I knew Josh was going to do that that! "Now use aerial ace!" I ordered very convinced. Hershey flew at Mightyena and flipped in the air gracefully. Then, he became engulfed in streaks of white light and flew into the foe pokémon. And I swear that she disappeared during a couple of seconds!

Beowulf abruptly fell to floor, but he recovered in a few seconds. His trainer gave him another instruction:

"Beowulf, use bite!" The dark type pokémon lunged at my Hershey and bit one of his wings, making Hershey to scream at pain. I knew Beowulf was containing himself to avoid making serious damage, but my pokémon's screams were making me feel distressed.

But everything changed when Hershey's cry changed his pitch: then, a white light engulfed my pokémon and I remembered what happened with Trevor back at Dewford Town; he was evolving!

"Oh my Arceus!" Josh exclaimed.

"Woah!" I managed to say.

As always, my Pokédex informed me that Hershey just evolved into Swellow. His appearance changed and he wasn't anymore that cute little fledgling; now he became a beautiful dark blue bird with a red breast and face. Also he grew a crest of blue feathers that swept back from his head. I went and scratched his head affectionately, I felt very proud!

"Sweeeell!" He chirped.

"Ha! It looks like your pokémon just evolved!" Josh observed.

"You don't say?" I exclaimed lightheartedly.

"I say!" He answered, following the joke.

"Well, enough with the jokes, let's continue! Hershey, use double team!" I ordered to my recently evolved partner. Hershey moved very quickly, creating copies of himself. The foe Mightyena was noticeably confused.

"Try to find the real one and use bite, Beowulf!" Josh commanded to his pokémon. The black and silver colored pokémon tried to attack the copies of Hershey, but nothing happened. They where disappearing one by one. At that exact moment, and taking advantage of the pokémon's increasing fatigue, I commanded Hershey to attack.

"Use aerial ace again!" Hershey obeyed me and flew into the Mightyena, making him faint. Another victory for us!

"How could I lose again?!" Josh whined.

"Hehehe, I don't know. Maybe you shouldn't be so stuck up." I advised him.

"I'm not stuck up, I'm realistic!" He said pouting. Sometimes I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"You defeated my main pokémon, if that comforts you. Well, I must get going; I want to go to Mauville City to confront the gym leader." I announced.

"Okay, I'll be here trying to catch a new pokémon. And the next time, I swear I will win! Just wait and see!" Josh said very sure of himself.

After returning Venus (who watched the whole battle very interested) to her pokéball, I said goodbye to Josh, who made a childish gesture, and I left. Mauville City wasn't too far away and I really wanted to get there. Not just because of the gym battle, I also wanted to have a Mauville Ramen Bowl, huehuehue!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Electrifying battle!**

I arrived at Mauville City shortly after my battle with Josh. And what I saw left me dumbfounded; I knew that the city had changed, but I wasn't ready for what I saw: it looked like a mall instead of a city! There were many shops and it was full of people carrying several shopping bags. Wow, what happened to the big but outdoors city I remembered? I wasn't displeased, I was just… shocked.

Getting lost was incredibly easy. But fortunately, there were several maps here and there. Before going to the gym, I wanted to go to the cafeteria to have something for lunch, concretely a Mauville Ramen Bowl. Did I mention before how much I like them? Yes? Nevermind, there's not enough words to describe how much I love them! After following the directions on the plans and getting lost a couple of times, I finally found the restaurant. And it was about time, because my stomach was already making weird sounds!

I quickly went to the bar and I ordered a ration of ramen. My mouth was watering at the mere thought of the food. You have to taste it to understand what I mean! I don't have words to describe it… I sat at one of the tables, surrounded by tough looking guys. And altought some of them stared at me shamelessly, I ignored them. I just was there for the food, and nothing else! Oh, and for the gym battle too, of course. Soon, the waiter came with a fuming bowl of food. I had to contain a "squee!" Well, my stomach squealed by roaring like a Mightyena.

I blew at the dish; I didn't want to scald my mouth! It took a few minutes until I estimated the meal's temperature was optimal, I started to eat. Guys, I know I sound like a scratched record, but the Mauville Ramen Bowls are unbelievable! There's no coherent way of describing how much I like to eat them. They are like, the ultimate noodles! Well, the ones my mom cooks are also good, but these… Restaurant food always something special that can't be achieved at home, I think.

It was like eating something prepared by Arceus himself… I know it's a blasphemy and I'm sorry. I'm not the kind of person who says stuff like that, but I can't find any other way of describing the ramen, I swear!

After finishing the meal, I paid to the waiter and I left directly towards the gym. I wanted to finish as soon as possible, since I also wanted to explore the city coolly. It wasn't very hard to find the place, altought this time I was about to get lost too. Fortunately, I spotted a map near me and I followed its directions, arriving to the gym successfully.

When I entered, I saw an all grey place: the floor and the walls were made of steel. It somewhat looked like the inside of a power plant. There was also an old man, who I figured it was a gym leader. I didn't allow his age to fool me; I knew of many elderly trainers who are exceptionally skilled. I approached the leader.

"Hi! Are you Wattson?" I greeted.

"Wahahahahaha!" He boomed "Yes young lady, I'm Wattson, Mauville's City gym leader."

"Good, I came here for a battle!" I said reaching for Trevor's pokéball.

"Wahahaha, nice! Then I, Wattson, the leader of Mauville Gym, shall electrify you! Go, Magnemite!" The cheerful old man said while throwing the red and white device. A creature who looked like a robot more than a pokémon came out.

"Cool. Go, Trevor!" I sent out my trusty Grovyle, very sure of myself.

"Since you are the youngest, I shall grant you the first attack." Wattson declared making a gesture with his right hand.

"Thank you. Trevor, use leaf blade!" I commanded to my pokémon. After that, he fiercely slashed the robotic pokémon. I think he did a fair amount of damage, but not as much as I expected for an electric type pokémon. Just then I remembered that Magnemite is not only an electric type, but also a steel type. It seemed like this battle was going to be more complicated than I expected!

"Good move, kid. But you ain't seen anything yet. Magnemite, thunder wave!" Wattson ordered. After that, blue bolts of electricity began to form on the ends of the magnets on his body. The electricity curved around Trevor and tied around him, what made him unable to move. Damn, this was a problem!

I pondered a couple of options. One was letting Trevor on the battle field and trying to make him able to attack. Unfortunately, I didn't have any heal for paralysis, so that was a risky option. The other was switching him out. But I decided for the craziest option and I made him continue. I wanted Trevor to show me what he was made of. I knew he could do it.

"Trevor, try your best and use leaf blade again!" He attempted to move, he tried hard. With a lot of difficulty, he reached the Magnemite and managed to hit him. This time, the attack seemed more effective, but Trevor was still paralyzed and that was an inconvenience.

"Wahahaha! Your pokémon is a tough fighter, isn't he? But this has just begun. Magnemite, volt switch!" Wattson's pokémon threw a ball of electricity at Trevor and then, returned to his pokéball. I was absolutely puzzled; I have never seen anything like that! Immediately, the gym leader sent out a pokémon named Magneton, Magnemite's evolved form, according to my Pokédex.

I decided to do the same, I changed my opinion: now I wanted to save Trevor for later in the battle. That was Berry's moment to shine, I've been training her a lot and it was her moment to show how much she improved. And nowhere better than at a gym battle! So, I withdrew my starter pokémon and I sent out the little Ralts.

"This time, I grant you the first move." I offered kindly.

"Thank you, youngster. Magneton, use supersonic, now!" Magneton's eyes glowed blue and he released from them blue circles which were directed to Berry. Immediately after that, Berry looked to all the directions, with a blank look on her face. Oh, Krabby, is this the status they call confusion? That wasn't a lucky day for me.

"Berry, focus on what I'm saying okay? Look at the pokémon in front of you and use magical leaf!" I said slowly so she could understand me. But, guess what happened next? She punched herself!

"Wahahaha, that's what being confused does!" Wattson said cheerfully, although he knew that it wasn't funny. Not for me, at least. "Magneton, magnet bomb!" A silver orb appeared in front of the pokémon and right after that, the ball impacted on Berry, leaving her very weakened.

I had to think quickly, there was no time to get distracted! Berry still seemed confused and she also felt very weak. I had no time to lose. I ordered her to perform the same attack and luckily, this time worked: Berry raised her hands above her head, she brought them forward and released multiple glowing light green leaves from her hands, which impacted in the foe Magneton.

"Woohoo!" I couldn't contain a triumphal scream, although it wasn't over yet. The attack did a good amount of damage, but not enough to make the three eyed pokémon faint.

"Magneton, use magnet bomb again!"

"Dodge it!" I cried. And fortunately, Berry could avoid the attack. She seemed a bit more conscious, which was really good. "Berry, use disarming voice!" I commanded. She sang a little song, which left the other pokémon astounded. Berry was doing very well, the probabilities or winning were increasing!

"Well played youngster, but wait and see! Magneton, use tackle!" Magneton flew at Berry and hit her with violence. Berry was left really damaged, but for my surprise, she didn't faint. Instead, she stood up and some seconds passed without absolutely nothing happening. I didn't know what to expect, until a white light surrounded her. I was beginning to be familiar with that: she was evolving.

After the process ended, I was astonished by Berry's new appearance: now she looked like a little ballerina! I pulled out the Pokédex from my bag. Berry just evolved into Kirlia, the Emotion Pokémon.

"Look at you… but look at you!" That was all I could manage to say while holding in my arms my recently evolved pokémon. I took advantage and I sprayed her with a Superpotion that made her feel much better. And at that moment, I felt very confident about my victory.

"Berry, use magical leaf again!" I ordered. She attacked and… the foe pokémon fainted! Finally! But the battle had just started. There were still two pokémon left.

"Electrifying! But you still have to face my other two pokémon. Go, Magnemite!" The pokémon whom opened the battle appeared again. I remembered that he was already damaged due to Trevor's leaf blade, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

"Berry, disarming voice!" My pokémon used her voice again to upset the rival. Now her voice sounded different, like… more mature (Of course it sounded more mature, she just evolved!). This time the attack made its effect too. Despite the first handicaps, it looked like luck was finally at our side.

"Magnemite, it's not time to give up! Attack her using tackle!" Berry couldn't avoid the attack on time and she got hit by the robotic pokémon. If it wasn't for the Superpotion, she would have fainted for sure. But fortunately, she could endure the hit.

"Alright Berry, we're almost done! Use magical leaf once again!" This time she performed the attack even more gracefully, due to her new form. The shining green leaves hit the foe pokémon, making him faint once and for all. I high-fived Berry, I couldn't be happier!

"Well done Magnemite. Now it's your turn, Voltorb!" Wattson sent out a pokémon who resembled a pokéball. I was like a pokéball with eyes! I couldn't help but feel amused at the sight of the spherical pokémon.

I decided to withdraw Berry. I was sure that Trevor wanted to participate in the battle too, he started it after all. And despite being paralyzed, I knew he would do his best. I threw his pokéball and Trevor made his appearance. He was still trapped by the electricity.

"Trevor, try to use leaf blade!" But, despite all his efforts, he couldn't move.

"Voltorb, roll out!" Wattson's pokémon rolled towards Trevor with great speed and power. Naturally, Trevor couldn't dodge the attack, but it didn't affect him very much.

"Come on, Trevor! Focus and use megadrain!" This time, Trevor could perform the attack; his hands released a green beam and he absorbed the foe's energy, who was very affected by the attack. The victory seemed so close this time…

"Voltorb, it's your turn now!" Wattson cheered. He didn't have to say anything; Voltorb used roll out once more and again, he hit Trevor.

Trevor was still paralyzed… I heard people whose pokémon healed from the condition by themselves, but it looked like I wouldn't be so lucky. I had to rely on luck for this battle which seemed to be nearing the end.

"Trevor, use leaf blade!" I cried, but he couldn't move. I cursed to myself.

Voltorb used again roll out, and this time the attack was more powerful and Trevor was resentful. Damn it! That day I learned an important lesson: don't forget to buy stuff for the status conditions!

"Okay now Trevor… use leaf blade!" I ordered. And this time it worked! He slashed repeatedly at the spherical pokémon, who was much weakened. This was starting to get very good for us! I couldn't wait to finish the battle, I wanted to do a lot of things on Mauville… but that wasn't the time to lose the focus. The battle was by far more important.

Once more, Wattson didn't say anything. Voltorb simply rolled towards Trevor using the very few energy remaining. At that right moment, I took the chance.

"Trevor, dodge it and use megadrain!" And as if it were a miracle, Trevor broke free from the electricity that hindered his moves and attacked the foe Voltorb, who fainted immediately after. Yay! Another gym badge for me and my team! I congratulated Trevor and I returned him to his pokéball.

"Wahahaha! Fine, I lost." Wattson said while withdrawing his pokémon.

"Phew, this was a very intense battle!" I responded.

"Indeed, it was! I've been electrified by you. Now, take this badge!" He gave me a shiny object, shaped like a coiled wire: the Dynamo badge. I already had three badges, I needed five more in order to be able to take on the Elite Four, but that moment still seemed to be very far away…

I thanked Wattson and I left. Before heading to the next place, there were several things I wanted to do on Mauville City, a place that changed very much since the last time I visited it. But at that moment, I had a thought: I remembered the candies (or Pokéblocks) and I decided to give them a try. I released Venus, the first pokémon who crossed my mind. It was a bit awkward to have her be outside the water, but she seemed to be doing just fine.

"Which one do you want?" I said showing her the tube. She seemed to want the blue ones, so I gave her a couple. Venus seemed to enjoy them a lot, so I gave her one more and after patting her scaly head, I returned Venus to her pokéball. I wondered which effect those Pokéblocks would have on my pokémon, and that was a thing I was going to see soon…


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Unexpected partner**

After feeding Venus those blue Pokéblocks whose effect still remained a mystery for me, I went back to the cafeteria and I ordered a bacon sandwich. The intense battle made me hungry again! But not enough to order a Mauville Ramen Bowl, I wanted something lighter. Although I still remembered how delicious the noodles were… But I didn't regret ordering the sandwich. The bacon was slightly salty, exactly how I like it, and the bread was crispy. I couldn't ask for more! That cafeteria serves the best food in Hoenn, I'm telling you!

After throwing away the remains, I headed to the bicycle shop. I already had a fair amount of money thanks to the battles I won and I figured that the bicycle would be useful. It wasn't hard to find the place, I entered the shop and an elderly man greeted me.

"Hi! How can I help you?" The man said cheerfully.

"Hi! I'm traveling across the region and I'm looking for a bike with which I can help me to reach faster my destinations." I explained to him, remarking all the important details.

"Then this one is perfect for you!"

The man showed me a dark red bike with black stripes. It looked really cool!

"This bike is the Ultra Sport 1.0, perfect for travelers like you! It's very comfortable and also, you will be able to overcome many geographical obstacles that you wouldn't be able to sort with a regular bike. So, what do you say?"

I examined the vehicle and after hearing the seller's explanation, I was really convinced.

"I'm taking it! How much does it cost?"

"It would be 4500 Pokédollars. Oh, and another thing: you can fold it!" He announced while folding the bicycle "And it comes with this bag in which you can put it, so you can carry it around."

"Cool!" I said while giving him the money. I ended up making a good purchase!

I went outside the store, eager to try out my new bicycle. I wasn't afraid of falling off, because I already knew how to ride on a bike. As the seller promised, the bike was very good; the seat was very comfortable and I could get a good grip from the handlebars. This would make my travelling more easy and comfortable!

I wasn't really sure about where to go. I wanted to challenge the next gym leader, but first I wanted to train my pokémon a bit more. I headed towards the exit leading to Route 117, riding my brand-new bicycle. The sensation was amazing! The wind blown into my face while I pedaled at full speed.

Upon entering Route 117, I found the Pokémon Daycare. I couldn't help but make a stop: in a backyard, there were several pokémon playing together. I could see a young Zigzagoon frolicking trough the grass. It was an adorable sight! There were also a few couples of pokémon whom were very affectionate towards each other. I bet these were mates! Before I could realize, ten minutes passed. The daycare man was starting to look at me in a funny way. After apologizing, I began to pedal again like crazy.

Soon, I arrived to a small town: Verdanturf Town. It's a small place, there's nothing remarkable, except for a Contest Hall, which is much smaller than the one in Slateport City. Then there you have what you find in all the other cities and towns; the Pokémon Market and the Pokémon Center. After taking my buddies to the Pokémon Center, I noticed the entrance of a tunnel in the north part of the town. I decided to take a look inside.

Before entering the cave, I saw a banner which read: "Rusturf Tunnel". Then I remembered something and I realized that this tunnel linked Rustboro City and Verdanturf Town! How cool is that? I got off on my bicycle and I put it on its bag. Right in front of the entrance, there were several boulders blocking the path. I sent out Trevor so he could use rock smash. I was going to return Trevor to his Pokéball, but I decided to leave him outside. I never walked along with any of my pokémon and I wanted to try out the experience!

We walked for a while before we spotted two persons talking to each other.

"Trevor, maybe we shouldn't keep walking. What if we are going to interfere on something which is none of our business?" I said to my partner. We were going to turn back when one of the persons called for us.

"Hi there! Can you help us, please?" A young man said.

I walked with Trevor towards them: there were a man and a woman separated by a row of boulders.

"These rocks are keeping us apart… Do you have, by any chance, any pokémon who knows the attack rock smash?" The young woman inquired.

"Of course! Trevor, use rock smash on these rocks over here." Trevor obeyed and reduced the slab to dust.

"Thank you very much! Finally I can be together with my girlfriend! You see, when the construction of the tunnel was cancelled, I decided to dig it by myself. I found the way of doing it without disturbing the pokémon who live there and now, thanks to you and your pokémon, the passageway is totally accessible!" The man explained, displaying evident satisfaction.

"I'm glad we have helped you! There's nothing better than helping those in need, right?" I said lightheartedly, while the couple agreed with me.

"As a show of gratitude, I want to give you this." The man said while handing to me small, round object. It had two S shaped lines in the center, each of which was colored in a different shade of grey.

"What is this?" I asked while I examined it.

"This is a very special object. You will know what it is when the time comes!" He exposed while winking an eye.

After we said goodbye to each other, the couple left towards Verdanturf Town. Having a tunnel connecting two cities is very practical! I thought for a second of going to Rustboro City, but I remembered something: I forgot my mobile phone at the cafeteria!

I explained the situation to Trevor, who seemed to understand everything I said, and I made him follow me. We quickly headed towards Mauville City, I ran as fast as I could but it was very hard to keep up with Trevor's speed; indeed it's true what they say about Grovyle, it's one of the fastest pokémon! We arrived very soon to Mauville City and we found without any problem the restaurant. When I entered I looked everywhere, already afraid of having lost my mobile phone, when I noticed Trevor was holding something: he found my mobile phone!

"Wow Trevor, you are the best!" I said while patting his head and after retrieving my phone, which I kept safe inside the bag so I didn't have to face this inconvenient again.

We exited the restaurant and this time I decided to choose a different path. I wanted to go towards the Route 111. I would train for the next gym battle along the way. Trevor and I were walking minding our own business when I noticed to persons dressed in a attire that was starting to get all too familiar… they were Team Aqua soldiers. I hid with Trevor and we spied them.

"We have to walk until we reach Fallarbor Town?" One of them complained.

"Yes. But don't worry, I brought food! Food makes everything better!" The other said trying to cheer up his partner.

Hereafter, the two Team Aqua grunts left towards Route 111. I felt in the obligation of following them. Arceus knows what they were up to!

"Trevor, I'm sorry but I must get on the bike. That means you must return to your pokéball." He nodded in agreement and I withdrew him. After that, I immediately got on my bicycle.

I pedaled very fast; I swear I could see two blue bandanas on the distance. I followed them fast, but cautiously. I didn't want to get caught so soon. I saw them sending out a pokémon, which returned to his pokéball very soon. When I reached that part, I realized that they used him to clear the rocks on the path, as I did moments before with Trevor in Rusturf Tunnel.

I kept pedaling along the route until I saw someone I already saw that day, Josh… What was he doing there now? I didn't know if it was a good idea to approach him or not, knowing that he seems to hate me for no reason. But I understand it, we are rivals and rivals usually don't get along, so… Anyway, I got off my bike and I walked along with it until I reached Josh.

"Hello! What are you doing here?" I asked expecting already his usual rude response.

"Emily! What are you doing here? Stop stalking me!" He answered exactly the way I expected.

"You know, I have better things to do than stalking you. But I just was curious about you being here now."

"I won my gym badge, as usual, and now I'm keeping up with my journey. I assume you are doing the same."

"Yeah. Well, actually I'm following a couple of Team Aqua grunts."

"Team… what?" He inquired.

I explained him the whole business going on: their purpose, their goals… As I explained him the matter, he seemed to be more and more puzzled.

"So… you mean to tell me that these guys want to cover the Earth with water because we are contaminating the oceans?" He said. His expression was priceless. For him, the plan sounded so crazy as it did to me.

"Exactly. And that's why I'm following those guys. I know I'm just a regular person, nothing extraordinary. But I want to try to avoid the catastrophe, you know?"

"And… do you think that these guys over there might be Team Aqua soldiers?" He pointed towards a group of people wearing a very recognizable attire, at least for me.

"Yes, they are."

The members of the criminal organization were blocking the entrance to the cable car that leads to Mount Chimney. I didn't know what to do. I tried to ponder the different options, but Josh kept interrupting me saying that he had a better idea. The twentieth time he said "I got a better idea!" I responded very annoyed.

"Okay! And what's that brilliant idea of yours, Mr. Brilliant?" I asked with a tone full of sarcasm and annoyance, glaring at him. I don't like to be interrupted when I'm trying to think about something important.

"Hey, don't talk to me like that!" He whined "I think that we can reach Mount Chimney towards the Fiery Path. If I'm not mistaken, which I highly doubt, it shouldn't be hard to reach to the mountain. Watcha think?"

I thought about it for a moment and, indeed, it sounded really plausible. Understand me; knowing Josh, I honestly thought he was going to crack a stupid joke. But that time he had a really good idea that would help us to investigate what Team Aqua was up to.

"Nice, Josh! Thanks for the help." I said honestly.

"Meh, no problem. But if somebody ever asks you who's the idea was you must say it was MINE! Okay?"

"Okay." I responded without wanting to start a fight.

I put the bicycle back at its own bag and be began to walk towards the Fiery Path. I didn't expect to have Josh as a traveling partner. I wasn't sure how much it would last, since I was used to travel without any other human being accompanying me and I liked it that way. But trying something different doesn't hurt, right?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Fallarbor Town blues**

Josh and I arrived to the Fiery Path after walking for ten minutes or so. But more than the Fiery Path, that was like the "Sauna Path". I was praying that the route wasn't too long, because it was very hot. Let's not forget that we were in the middle of spring, and now I was walking in a place which is right through a volcano. Can you imagine how hot is inside a place like that?

The heat was barely bearable; our clothes were soaked in sweat and we smelt almost as bad as urine. As for our hair, it looked exactly like if we just stepped out of the shower, only that instead of clean and fresh it was dirty and sweaty. Of course, Josh couldn't remain silent and he had to complain, as usual.

"I hope we can get outta here as soon as possible! I can't stand my own smell!"

"Me either, but we must walk this path. You said so, after all." I reminded him while I wiped the sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand.

"But I didn't know it was so hot in here!" He kept whining.

I got rid of my jacket and I tied it to my waist. My armpits were stained with sweat, I felt very uncomfortable. To be honest, I just wanted to get out of that place and take a shower. But I had to discover what Team Aqua was up to. At the moment, that was much more important than my own hygiene. I wanted to keep them from fulfilling their destructive plan! I knew they had good intentions, but they didn't know how to manage them properly.

While we walked through the underground aisle, I saw how Josh did the same I did moments before and tied his yellow jacket to his waist. He was upset as well, but Josh still kept walking. I knew he didn't like Team Aqua's plans either. Suddenly, I decided to ask him something.

"Josh?"

"What do you want?" He responded without looking at me.

"I just was wondering… why are you like that?" I simply asked. I was really curious; the way he acted was very strange. He was just like one of those ridiculous antagonists from cartoons, yet sometimes he had moments of kindness.

"I have no idea what you mean! Just don't irritate me, okay?" He hissed, still without looking at me.

"I understand we are rivals and all that, but the way you act is just so strange… You are free to dislike me; I won't force anyone to be my friend. But, the way you act sometimes doesn't makes sense… It's like if you were playing a role instead of being yourself. Do you know what I mean?"

Josh suddenly stopped on his tracks. He stared at the floor for several seconds, sighed and finally, turned around facing me.

"Do you really want to know why I act the way I do?" He seemed to be dead serious.

"Yes."

"Well, if I act like a narcissistic bastard, is because I feel the need to do it."

"I don't get it." I answered, very confused.

"My parents have always told our sister and me that we must be the best; Shirley wants to be a coordinator and she has to be the best. As for me, I want to be a trainer and I have to be the best. Our parents were always making us endeavor more than we could, and they even have made us abandon school in order to work more in our dreams… Although sometimes I feel like it's actually THEIR dream. Don't get me wrong, our sister and I, we like what we do. But our parents forced us to get too centered when we wanted to do more things aside from our pokémon career." His explanation was impressive, but still didn't quite explain what I asked him.

"But that doesn't explain your attitude!"

"It does! Since my parents want me to be the best, I must act like I think I am really the best. But I'm just a normal guy who wants to do his own thing. Of course, I like challenges. And that's why I feel obligated to behave like that, so I can look like I'm always ready." He finally said.

So Josh's parents are like those parents on films who couldn't accomplish their goals and now want to do it through their children… I always thought that it's wrong; one must allow their kids to do what they really want to do. In Josh's and his sister's case, they were doing what they like, only that they wanted to focus in other things as well. For the first time since we met, I felt sorry for him. And that's exactly what I told him.

"Nah, you don't have to be sorry for me. From now on, I'll try avoiding acting like that. But keep one thing in mind: because I'm nice to you, it doesn't mean we stopped being rivals. I still want to prove that I can surpass you!" He expressed.

"Of course!" I answered rising my thumb in a gesture of approval, which he corresponded the same way.

We kept walking through the Fiery Path, complaining about the temperature from time to time, until we finally saw the exit. Thank Arceus; I was so done with that damn place! But the most complicated part was still to come; we had to face Team Aqua.

I got the map outside of my bag and I shown it to Josh.

"I heard them saying that they were going to Fallarbor Town. It's near here. We can't lose more time!"

"Okay, let's go!"

Breathing was kinda difficult, since the air was full of the volcano's ashes. We were near it and that was noticeable not only because of the ashes, also because of the temperature. It wasn't as hot as in the Fiery Path, but the temperature was still very high. Along the way, we saw several accumulations of ashes. Even the grass had a different hue in this place!

We reached Fallarbor Town in less than fifteen minutes. Apparently, the place was very calm. This is also a small town, but the tranquility was going to disappear very soon…

A middle aged woman came running towards us; she was very agitated, to the point that we barely understood what she said.

"The professor… kidnapped…Meteor Falls!" She babbled while moving her hands frenetically.

"Wait, wait! Speak slowly, please!" Josh said.

"Professor Cozmo has been kidnapped… they took him to Meteor Falls! Help him, please!" The woman begged.

"Did you see who took him away?" I asked concerned, already imagining who they were.

"They looked like pirates… and they call themselves Team Aqua." She explained, feeling a bit calmer.

"Where is Meteor Falls?" Josh asked to the woman.

"You must exit from the left and… you must cross a bridge. The entry to Meteor Falls is right at the left. I hope this helps." The woman said.

"Thank you. We will bring him back." I assured her, referring to professor Cozmo.

I began to walk away with Josh. The temperature was still annoying and we were still sweating in a disgustingly profuse way. I scratched my right arm while I thought about what Team Aqua could be doing to professor Cozmo right at that moment. We followed the indications that the woman (who is professor's Cozmo helper and wife) gave us. After a while, we finally saw the entry to Meteor Falls. I was preparing myself for thousands of different scenarios that compromised more or less the professor's safety.

Josh and I entered, only to see the professor being harassed by a Team Aqua grunt and an exuberant looking woman, who was dressed in a different way, but I could still tell that she was also a part of the organization.

"You sea-loving hippies, let the professor go!" Josh hollered. I facepalmed and I instantly knew he just got himself in trouble.

"Who are you calling hippies?" The young woman approached Josh, and she didn't seem friendly. Not at all "We are working for the future of our most valuable good and you call us hippies? Don't make me…!" The grunt separated her from Josh before she could continue.

"Wow, what a temper! But I must admit she's pretty hot…" This last sentence, Josh whispered it to me so the girl couldn't hear him.

"You spoiled brats, go away! This nothing of your business!" The woman, whose name was still unknown, barked at us.

"We won't leave until you release professor Cozmo. And since there are two of you and two of us, we can battle! And if we win, you will let the professor go!" I said full of confidence.

"Huh? So even I, Team Aqua Administrator Shelly, have been made a fool. Fine! Brats who don't know how to watch their mouths must be punished!" Shelly announced with a defiant look in her eyes.

"Fine. But you'll see we are no brats." I expressed calmly.

"I will take care of the hot girl. I like challenges!" Josh was very enthused and he didn't control his words.

"Hot girl? I'm sorry kid, but I think I'm too much of a woman for you to handle." Shelly said with a sassy expression. Oww, that hurts!

"Stop the chatter and let's start!" The grunt claimed.

"Shut up Kevin, I'm the only one who can give orders here!" Shelly said while glaring at her partner.

After a moment of silence in which we stared at each other, we finally released our pokémon. The emotion of the incoming battle was so intense that we almost forgot of professor Cozmo, who was watching the entire scene silently and with an expression of fear plastered on his face.

"Go, Trevor!"

"It's your time, Finnegan"

"Go get 'em, Grimer!"

"Mightyena, show them what we do with loudmouths!"

Everyone sent out their respective pokémon. The ambient was very tense and that was noticeable in our pokémon. I knew I didn't make a good choice: I sent out Trevor, who is a grass type while the opponent sent out a Grimer, who is a poison type.

"I'm sorry Trevor. Go, Hershey!" I decided to send to the battle field my Swellow. I hoped he could manage better the poison type pokémon.

"Hahaha, you lost your turn! Grimer, attack him with sludge!" The Team Aqua soldier ordered to his pokémon, who fired large balls of sludge to Hershey, one after another. The smell was terrible! Hershey, who was in the air, had to go down to the ground.

"Don't worry Hershey. Use aerial ace!" He flew at Grimer with a high speed, engulfed in streaks of white light. The hit was fast and accurate, but not enough to make the other pokémon faint.

I quickly glanced at Josh to see how he was doing against Shelly. His Marshtomp fought against Shelly's Mightyena and he seemed to be doing fine so far. Yes, Josh is as good as he always says! After that, I continued with my battle. It was the foe's turn.

"Grimer, mud slap!" The Grimer proceeded to attack, but it didn't do anything to Hershey because of the type matchup.

"Idiot! How could you use a ground attack against a flying type?" Shelly scolded furiously her subordinate. She didn't slap him because she was in the middle of a pokémon battle.

"I'm sorry! Grimer, use sludge. Now!" His pokémon attacked Hershey again with those stinky balls of slush. This time, Hershey was hit as well. I didn't want to lose against a simple grunt. Not in the presence of a stronger member of Team Aqua and of course, not in the presence of my rival!

"Well Hershey, use focus energy!" His body became outlined in a red aura. I knew he was getting ready to attack with all his strength.

"Grimer, use sludge once more!" Why was this guy using sludge time after time? Maybe it was his only good attack.

But the battle was about to finish.

"Hershey, dodge the attack and use wing attack!" My boy avoided the attack with a swift movement and hit the viscose looking pokémon with his wings, attacking him repeatedly. And yes, the Grimer fainted!

"But… how is this possible?" The grunt complained "Shelly! How are you doing?"

"This damn brat is tougher than it seems!"

Shelly was having problems with Josh; he was proving to be a worthy contender. Now he was using a Wailmer, which I figured it was the pokémon he trapped that morning, and she used a Carvanha. Yay, more data for my Pokédex!

"I got it… Carvanha, use swagger!" The Team Aqua administrator ordered to her fish pokémon. A red light surrounded him while he stared at Wailmer in an intimidating manner. Wailmer's eyes began to glow red too, and I think he became confused. That reminded me of what happened with Berry, in the morning.

"Oh no… Opera use rollout!" Josh hoped his pokémon could perform the attack but instead, he hit himself.

"Hahaha! Carvanha use aqua jet, right now!" Shelly wasn't just a fierce person, but also a fierce trainer. Her Carvanha's body became surrounded by water and it shoots itself like a rocket at Opera, slamming into it. Despite his size, the blue and white pokémon appeared to be very hurt.

And at that moment, I noticed something: Shelly's Carvanha also seemed to be feeling weak. It wasn't very clear who was going to win this battle, but I hoped that the winner was Josh. We had to defeat Team Aqua!

"Come on Opera, use rollout… now!" The Wailmer made a great effort and finally, began to roll towards the foe pokémon, on whom he impacted. "Well done!" Josh was really happy.

"This is not over yet… Carvanha, use bite!" The pokémon, who was much smaller than Josh's Wailmer, sank his teeth onto his rival's body, whom left out a pained scream. "When are you going to give up, brat?" The villainess asked Josh while glaring at him.

"Never! Opera, use whirlpool!" His pokémon jumped into the water and began to swim in circles, very quickly. A huge whirlpool began to form and suddenly, said whirlpool raised from the water and traped the Carvanha. When the smaller pokémon could escape, he was already fainted.

"Ahh! I… I think I've been too easy on you, kid. You didn't see even the half of my ability!" Shelly was very surprised, a teenager had just defeated her!

"Yay, we did it!" Josh celebrated.

"Well done, Josh." I congratulated him.

"Thank you!"

We looked at the Team Aqua members: they were puzzled. Professor Cozmo was very surprised as well; I bet he couldn't imagine we were going to defeat them! But this wasn't over; Team Aqua still didn't want to leave us alone…


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Volcanic showdown Pt.1**

We just defeated the Team Aqua members and we were very happy, since we thought that they were going to give up for once and for all, but we were wrong… Suddenly, Shelly began to deliver a speech.

"If the tremendous energy of Mount Chimney and the meteorite are combined, we of Team Aqua can take a giant step towards the world we dream of! We won't let ignorant little brats get in our way!"

"Ignorant little brats? Do you need something more besides the beating your team has just suffered?" I dared to speak up. I can't stand being treated this way!

"Shut up or you will be the one getting beat up… and I'm not talking about your pokémon!" Did she just threaten to harm me physically? I can't believe it! But I kept my composure; I didn't want to show how upset I was.

The tension was very noticeable: we stared at each other while we held our breath. Professor Cozmo was still very scared and he didn't know where to look at. His eyes had a blank expression and he was looking very pale. I wanted to go and help him, but I was afraid of being attacked by Shelly and her minion. After some seconds, an unknown voice echoed in the chamber.

"Do these mere beginners give you so much trouble? To you, an administrator of Team Aqua…"

"Who's there?" Josh said looking for the person who spoke those words.

It didn't take a long time for him to appear before us: he was a man completely dressed in red, the same color of his long hair. He appeared to be on his early 50s and his facial expression revealed him to be a very serious person. The man walked towards us with firm steps, along with a man and a woman who also wore completely red clothes. I wondered who they could be…

"Hmph! Even Team Magma showed their faces, huh? There's nothing to be done about it" Wait… Team Magma? Another crazy organization? "Hey, grab the meteorite!" Shelly ordered at her partner.

"Aye, aye!" The grunt walked towards professor Cozmo, who was still astounded.

"Wha-what?" These where the professor's words.

"Come on, hand over the meteorite!" The Team Aqua grunt struggled with the professor and almost threw him off!

"Professor!" I ran towards him and I helped professor Cozmo to keep his balance, but during the confusion, the soldier took the opportunity and stole the meteorite.

"Ahaha! Later day, brats and Team Magma! All right, time to rush to Mount Chimney!" Shelly and her partner left. They couldn't be more satisfied, since they accomplished their objective. Now they had that meteorite and Arceus knows what the heck they wanted to do with it.

"Hmph…" The red haired man sighed.

"Maxie… We must give chase to Team Aqua or else…" What if this Team Magma people were good guys? Maybe they would help us with Team Aqua…

I was facing towards the way the Team Aqua members left when suddenly I heard that someone was walking towards me. It was him...

"My name is Maxie."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Emily."

"I lead an organization known as Team Magma. We work for the future happiness of all mankind." Oh no… another villain team! Judging by their name, it seemed they wanted the opposite of Team Aqua: while Team Aqua worked for the expansion of the sea, Team Magma worked for the expansion of the land. "For what I've seen here, it appears that you and your friend are working against our rivals, Team Aqua." See? I was right!

"Yes."

"Fine. Amuse yourself with those Team Aqua fools. But be careful you do not impede our goals. Be you girl or boy, oppose us in the slightest and I, the great Maxie, will show no mercy!" So, he was basically saying that he was fine with us fighting Team Aqua as long as we didn't bother Team Magma? Now I didn't know which team was worse…

After saying that, he left without saying goodbye or anything. I was dumbfounded, this was like those soap operas where every day a new character appears and the plot gets more and more complicated.

"It looks like we have more bad guys over there…" Josh observed.

"Yes… And for a moment, I thought they were going to help us. Silly me…" I complained.

"Well, everybody makes mistakes. Oh… Professor Cozmo!" We suddenly remembered the professor's presence…

He was staring at the ground, he didn't move not even a millimeter.

"Professor, are you doing okay?" I asked concerned.

"But… but… I only…" He still didn't know how to react. That was a traumatic experience for him.

"Looks like he's still pretty out of it…" Josh said while taking a closer look to the man.

"Okay… We must get the professor back to his home in Fallarbor Town. Help me carry him."

"Wait… Carry him?" Josh doubted, but I explained him that we just had to help him walk.

I put the professor's right arm around my neck while Josh did the same with his left arm. The way to Fallarbor Town was as short as we could, since we wanted to take the man to his house as soon as possible and once again the heat was bothering us. When we were already near to his home, his helper and wife came running towards us.

"Takao, thanks Arceus and the stars above!" She jumped to his arms.

"Daisy!" After the initial excitement, he began to explain what happened. "Thanks to these youngsters, I have somehow returned."

"Yeah, we saved him from Team Aqua." Josh said.

"But unfortunately, they stole him a meteorite. They also said that they need it for some business at Mount Chimney." I explained looking at the professor and noticing how he was much calmer than moments before.

"They stole him the meteorite?" Daisy was appalled.

"Oh no! This is serious! We must do all what we can to retrieve that meteorite. Come on kids, I'm taking you to Mount Chimney!" The Professor was very scared and nervous. He led us to his car and began to drive as fast as he could. In less than a minute, we were on the road.

The landscape ran next to us faster than Trevor did that morning when we were going to retrieve my phone. I knew I would need the help of my pokémon at Mount Chimney and I had no time to heal them. What could happen?

"Apparently, they wanted to go to the volcano in order to expand the sea or something like that…" Josh said while looking through the car's window.

"Yes, and if they get to do what they are trying to do, the Earth will be in serious problems!" Professor Cozmo responded.

"Professor, I think they have good intentions but can't manage them." I said.

"Explain yourself."

"Well, they are doing this to protect the sea life, but it's getting out of hand. They don't realize that ground and water need each other. If not, it could be a catastrophe! I hope I'm making myself clear."

"Yes, you are. I couldn't have said it better, and I'm a professor!" Cozmo said keeping his eyes glued to the road.

After a while, we finally made it to Mount Chimney but first, we had to ride a cableway.

"Professor, are you coming with us?" Josh asked.

"I'm afraid not, son. I think I had enough today. I'm sorry I can't be helpful."

"Don't say that professor, we understand. Take care!" I said while patting him on the back.

We said goodbye to him and he left on his car. After that, I went with Josh straight to the cable car. There was a woman at the entrance and she looked very disturbed.

"Two tickets, please." Josh ordered.

"Are you sure you two want to go up there?" She responded.

"We aren't sure, we are extra sure!" I said trying to convince her.

"Very well, then there you have the tickets. Thanks for using our services."

I got in the cable car with Josh and soon the vehicle started its way up. We had no idea of what we could find up there. Every scenario was possible.

"Emily, promise me you won't tell anyone what I told you earlier about my behavior. Okay?" Josh pleaded suddenly.

"Okay… Huh, you said Shelly is hot. What about Lisia?" I teased him.

"Err… Shelly is just hot, but Lisia is something else. I like Lisia more, of course!" He responded while scratching the back of his head and looking through the window. I just made him feel nervous, huehuehue!

Those words reduced the tension of the ride towards the top of Mount Chimney. The bewilderment was more than evident, we didn't know if we would be capable of saving the day or if something would go terribly wrong. That's something we would discover very, very soon.

"Well Emily, are you ready for the fight?"

"Umm… I forgot to heal my pokémon. Can you give me a second, please?"

"Of course."

We both healed our pokémon and once we finished, we began to look for the Team Aqua guys. Shortly after, we heard a big fuss.

"It looks like there's serious business going on…" I said while scratching my arm, as I always do when I feel anxious.

"Don't worry; we will finish their business in the blink of an eye."

"I hope so…"

We walked towards the source of the voices… and there they were: grunts of Team Aqua and Team Magma fighting each other. They ordered their pokémon to attack each other ruthlessly. I never saw something like that: these pokémon wanted to kill each other! The sight was very disturbing and some of the pokémon even bleed. We had to stop that madness before it was too late…

"Look Emily!" Josh whispered.

I saw Maxie, the Team Magma leader, standing before three Team Aqua grunts. They all had their pokémon out, ready to attack.

"Ugh! Impudent fools!" Maxie began to speak to his enemies "You Team Aqua curs dare to impede the great Maxie?!" He was very angry.

The heat was unbearable. If it was hot in the Fiery Path, imagine the temperature at the peak of Mount Chimney, a volcano! Also, breathing was beginning to get difficult. The smell of lava and sweat combined made me want to throw up, but I had to stay strong to fight Team Aqua… and Team Magma, if it was necessary. Fortunately, Josh was accompanying me and I didn't have to do all the work by myself.

"Josh, there's several grunts who aren't fighting. Let's battle them!"

"Okie dokie!"

The battles weren't very hard. Of course, they were stronger than the first time I battled them. But, since they use mostly water type pokémon, it was easy for me because I had Trevor. Hershey and Berry also helped me a lot. As for Venus, she still wasn't ready to battle these bad Team Aqua guys.

After defeating all the idle grunts, I saw Shelly, the Team Aqua administrator. This time, I wanted to be the one battling her, and that's what I told Josh. He agreed and allowed me to fight her.

"Shelly."

"What are you doing here?! Did you follow us all the way here from Meteor Falls?" She was surprised and annoyed.

"Why, yes. We must stop your crazy plans. Now is my turn to defeat you!" I was very sure of myself, I never felt so confident!

"Ha, well. Good job, girl. Okay, I admit it. You are quite the trainer. And…" She took a deep breath "To Archie… me… and all of Team Aqua, your existence is annoying!" She roared like a Mightyena. I didn't back down and I dared to respond her.

"You can yell at me and you can threat me as much as you want to, but I won't back down. What you want to do would destroy the world. What about the pokémon? Did you think about all the pokémon who need the ground to live?"

"You are wrong! The world Archie dreams of would be a utopia for pokémon. I can't let you get in the way of someone who's pushing towards a perfect world!" I started to think that she needed to get institutionalized…

"Okay…"

"Now, prepare yourself! This will be the time that I leave that cute face of yours swollen and crying!" Ugh, what a violent individual!

"Okay but I warn you: you won't make me cry so easily. And if you dare to touch me, my pokémon won't hesitate to attack whoever tries to harm me." My blood boiled and my spirit burned almost as hot as the volcano under me.

"Ha! How can you dare to talk to me like that?! You will swallow your own words! Go, Grimer!"

"Go on, Hershey!"

An important battle was about to begin and at that moment, it was even more important that any of the gym battles I fought until then. That morning I got a gym badge, but that evening I tried to save the world, along with my rival, Josh. Would we succeed?


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Volcanic showdown Pt.2**

I stared at Shelly as she stared back at me. Her eyes were full of hate and fury, while mine were full of determination and courage. The volcano burned under us and our pokémon were out, ready to listen to our commands and attack each other.

"Hershey, use wing attack!"

"Grimer, sludge!"

We both said our orders at the same time, so we had no idea who would attack first. Fortunately for me, Hershey attacked first. His wings hit the viscous body of the poison type pokémon, much for Shelly's displeasure. Once my Hershey finished, Grimer fired huge sludge balls at him. Hershey avoided a couple of them, but he still got hit. The strength of the shot sent him to the ground.

"Not bad, kid. You impress me, but this just started! Grimer, use disable!" Grimer's eyes glowed blue and an aura of the same color surrounded Hershey.

"What did you do? What's that?" I asked fearing that it would be a dirty trick.

"You'll see…" She simply said.

"Okay… Hershey, use wing attack again!" But Hershey couldn't move, he tried to attack but he couldn't do anything! So, that was the effect of the attack disable…

"Hahahaha! See, isn't it a great surprise?" Shelly mocked me. "Grimer, attack him again with sludge!"

"Hershey, dodge the attack!"

Before the disgusting balls could reach Hershey, he flew high and avoided the impacts. Shelly just sighed and looked at me with a very self confident expression.

"Those are beginner tricks. Now you will see how a real trainer does it. Grimer, use minimize!"

What I saw left me astounded: the pokémon reduced himself to the half of his normal size. He got so reduced that it was difficult to see him. I hated her "expert" tricks!

"It's okay Hershey. Use quick attack!" He flew at the opponent, but the attack missed since Hershey couldn't see where Grimer was. It was very frustrating, at that moment, I wished that any of my pokémon had learned an attack like that! I was very upset, but in the outside I managed to look like I was totally calm.

"Oh, you aren't surprised? I don't care. Grimer, go on and use sludge again!" The sludge balls came (apparently) from nowhere and hit Hershey. This was getting ridiculous! But I was decided to win and humiliate that villainess!

"Listen Hershey, now you have to focus and try to find your opponent. Just try and look at him and now… use aerial ace!" After some long seconds, he finally spotted Grimer. Hershey flew towards the foe, engulfed on streaks of white light. This time, he could hit his opponent.

"But how? This strategy never fails!" Shelly exclaimed blinking with disbelief.

"Well, one day or another all the strategies fail, no matter how perfect they seem." I said triumphantly.

The fight began to get pretty interesting. Shelly commanded her poison type to use sludge yet again. At the same time, I ordered Hershey to use quick attack. He quickly flew towards Grimer, who was a bit more visible now, and hit him on the face. However, Hershey couldn't avoid the impact of some sludge balls, which means that they both got hurt at the same time. I really wanted to end this fight and make Team Aqua (and Team Magma) go away and leave everybody alone.

"Ugh…!" Shelly grunted, knowing that the battle was going to get more difficult for her "Grimer, use sludge again!" The pokémon got ready to fire the mud balls once more, but he performed the attack so many times that it got pretty predictable. And I took advantage of that.

"Hershey, use aerial ace! Quick!" He flew through the storm of gunk balls, avoiding all them, and hit his opponent with precision making him faint for once and for all. I was very happy, but I didn't want to show it because I knew she still had another pokémon left.

"You might have defeated my Grimer, but, will you be able to take down this one? Go, Carvanha!" She sent out the same pokémon I saw earlier at Meteor Falls. I knew this was going to be pretty easy, because I had Trevor.

"Good job, Hershey! Now it's your turn, Trevor!" I said while throwing the red and white device. He looked at me and I knew he was feeling as determined as I did. That's why I didn't waste my time and I moved first. "Trevor, use leaf blade!"

"Dodge it, Carvanha!" Shelly's pokémon managed to avoid the attack. The brunette woman looked at me with a stuck up expression. "Now use swagger!"

The eyes of the fish pokémon glowed red as he stared intensely into Trevor's eyes. After that, a red aura surrounded Trevor, just like with Josh's pokémon. Trevor was very enraged and Shelly had a disgustingly triumphal grin. But I wanted to surprise her.

"Trevor, don't let the rage blind you and use leaf blade!" He performed the attack successfully, much to Shelly's disappointment. He slashed Carvanha repeatedly using the sharp leaves on his wrist.

"Use aqua jet!" Shelly's voice sounded desperate. And I don't want to sound like an arrogant prick but… she was losing and she knew it.

Of course, the attack didn't harm Trevor very much. I ordered him to use megadrain, in order to retrieve the little energy that he lost from Carvanha's move. I looked at Shelly like "Well, what are you gonna do?" That annoyed the hell out of her.

"Carvanha, use assurance!" The already weakened pokémon slammed his head against Trevor, causing him to "fly" a few meters. The attack was powerful and so was the pokémon performing it, but I just had to make Trevor use another grass type attack to defeat him. And that's what I did.

Under my command, Trevor used leaf blade again and as I predicted, Carvanha fainted. Shelly's face was priceless!

"Wha-what was that?" She managed to babble.

"That's what happens when you underestimate someone." I answered looking directly into her eyes.

"I can't believe that I've been defeated today… twice! And because of two spoiled brats that don't want a better world! But either way, you're a brat with a bright future, so is your friend. My pokémon and I don't have any strength left to fight… Go on… Go and be destroyed by Archie."

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed opening my eyes wide. Did she mean that I still had to fight the big boss?

I wasn't expecting that. I healed my pokémon with the superpotions I had on my bag and I went to talk with Josh.

"It looks like I have to fight Archie now…"

"And Archie is…?"

"Team Aqua leader." I reminded him.

"Oh, okay. There are so many people that I forget their names." Josh said scratching his head. "Well, good luck."

"Wait… you won't help me?" I said scandalized.

"Err… This is an issue between you and him. You are the one who crossed their path first, after all."

"Fine then… I'll try to do my best."

"Listen, it's not that I don't want to help you... But as I said, you are the person they are really going after. I just happened to be there today and I helped you a bit. Also, I'm your rival: why should I help you?" He said moving his hands frenetically.

"I get it; I will go and beat Archie's team on my own. But rival or not, just wish me luck. Okay?"

"Okay… good luck!"

I walked towards Archie, who was standing before a strange machine. Maybe it was just me, but the heat of the volcano was more and more intense as time passed by. I knew I was getting in trouble, but I had to do it if I wanted to try to save the world… and that was my intention. Archie was thinking aloud.

"The great swell of power that sleeps deep in the magma… And it's the key to controlling the super-ancient pokémon's power?"

Which pokémon was he talking about? Maybe Groudon or Kyogre... At that moment I remembered the day I met Steven at Granite Cave. There was an ancient painting featuring Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza. And they looked different from the creatures I always saw in the illustrations of encyclopedias. I decided to make my presence known.

"Hi Archie!" I said with a falsely friendly voice.

"Ah! You… Uh… No… Oh! Now I know how I know you!" He apparently didn't remember me… "You're the little scamp that got in our way in Slateport's museum!"

"Yes, the one and only!" I didn't know how I could dare to talk like that! Maybe it was the energy of the volcano…

"If you made it here to me, you musta swept right past Shelly, huh? I figured you were a big deal the first time I laid my eyes on you, but… whoa! Well, since you're the real deal, I s'pose I could let you in on what's going on."

"Yes, please." I said eyeing the machine.

"See, this meteorite that I just got from professor High-an'-Mighty back there… With the right bit of work, it seems be could turn it into a real nice, valuable bit. Like maybe a Mega Stone. Or maybe… even a Key Stone."

"Mega Stone… Key stone?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Don't tell me you don't know what these are! Well, you'll find out sooner or later… But as long as we're here at Mount Chimney… Hyup! Bwahahahaha! Look what I nearly went an' did!"

"Let me guess… You were about to tell me a very important detail for your master plan?" I asked while I crossed my arms, waiting for the battle to start.

"Exactly! If I give away all my secrets, all the thrill'd be gone from our relationship. I think I'll just leave you hanging there." He said putting in place his blue bandana.

"As you wish."

"Well… It's not the details that matter any old how. We've got a thing we gotta do, ya see. From our point of view, scamp, you're a dirty villain who's gotten in our way."

"Hahahaha! Wait a moment… Hahahaha! Me, a villain? When I want to keep the world from being flooded?" I couldn't contain my laughter.

"You can't understand our goals, you offended me! Now come!" He was really angry this time.

He sent out a Mightyena. I thought the battle was going to be long and complicated, but I would try to make it be easier. I risked myself and I sent out Berry, despite having a disadvantage. But I had a plan.

"Mightyena, use roar!" The dark type pokémon roared loudly, which scared Berry. For a moment, she was paralyzed by the fear, but she snapped out of it very soon.

"Berry, use draining kiss!" She ran over to Mightyena and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He began to glow red, and a yellow orb of energy flew off from him and into Berry. He seemed to feel a bit tired after that.

"Smart move, you little scamp. But now it's my turn! Mightyena, use assurance!" As Shelly's Carvanha did previously, Mightyena slammed his head into Berry, sending her petite body a few meters away.

When Berry could stand up again, I commanded her to use magical leaf. She raised her hands and moved them forwards, sending some glowing leaves towards his opponent. The leaves slashed Mightyena on the legs, which caused him to fall.

"Mightyena, stand up and use snarl!" Mightyena made a bloodcurdling sound. The scream was so terrifying that Berry was left paralyzed in fear once again and it was hard for me to react. But Archie, apparently, was unaffected.

"Okay Berry, use draining kiss again!" She tried to approach the Mightyena, but…

"Mightyena, dodge it and use bite!" The dark type avoided Berry with a swift move and then proceeded to hold her between his teeth. I watched helplessly how Berry tried to release herself from the tight grip and screamed in pain.

"Archie, tell him to stop! He's going to hurt her!"

"No! He's controlling himself. If my pokémon wanted to kill yours, he would have already!"

I grunted angrily. I saw how Berry moved trying to escape from the opponent's jaws. I was going to try something…

"Berry, focus and try to use your powers to force Mightyena to release you!"

My pokémon closed her eyes for a moment and she suddenly went still. After a while, a pinkish aura surrounded her. The aura became bigger and bigger as time passed by and finally, Mightyena gave up and left her go.

"And now use draining kiss!" Berry performed the attack just like before, which left her foe a bit giddier. Archie threw back his head and cackled loudly.

"WOW KID, you are really though! But let me tell you, this just started! Mightyena, use roar, now!" The black and silver pokémon roared dauntingly once more, but this time my Berry wasn't so intimidated.

"Magical leaf, now!" Berry raised her hands and brought them forwards releasing multiple glowing leaves from her hands at the Mightyena. And for everyone's surprise, that defeated him! I couldn't believe it.

Archie stared at his fainted pokémon during several seconds that felt like hours. After that, he proceeded to make Mightyena return to his pokéball. Then he raised his head and looked directly into my eyes.

"If you think the rest of the battle will be this easy, you are wrong, little scamp! I won't let you, a simple girl who gets herself in issues that are none of her business, interfere in Team Aqua's plans!"

He was ready to release his next pokémon and I was ready to keep fighting. I didn't want to allow them to get away with their plans so easily.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Looping the loop**

The fight against Archie just begun. I already defeated one of his pokémon, but I knew he wouldn't give up so easily… and neither would I.

"Go ahead, Golbat!" Archie sent out his next pokémon. This one was a blue and purple flying creature. His mouth was open wide and I swear I could see part of his throat. The sight was truly disturbing, but I didn't allow that to intimidate me.

"It's your turn, Hershey!" I decided to switch pokémon and I sent out my trusty flying type. I thought that if two flying types fought each other, the battle would be more balanced.

We stared at each other in silence, while we pondered which moves we should use and which weren't adequate. Pokémon battles are all about thinking!

"Golbat, use wing attack!" The opponent slammed Hershey with his wings and then the movement my pokémon made before falling allowed him to hit Hershey yet a few more times.

"Hershey, can you stand up?" He stood up with no problem whatsoever. "Good. Now use quick attack!" He flew towards his foe leaving a trail of white light and hit him strongly.

"Your luck ends here, scamp. Golbat, use confuse ray and then use swift!" A ray of light of an indescribable color went from the scary flying type to Hershey.

Then, Golbat waved its wings and multiple stars came out of them and hit Hershey. The performance of the attack was stunning, truth be told, but the attack damaged my pokémon and to make things worse, now he was also confused.

"Hershey, try your best and use aerial ace!" But he flew up only to slam himself on the floor.

"Bwahahahaha, what a silly pokémon you have, kid! Golbat, use air cutter!" He flapped his wings and a strong gust with light blue "S" shaped energy slashed Hershey.

The heat of the volcano was annoying me more than ever and the battle was turning against me. I hoped Hershey could perform his next attack correctly.

"Hershey, use wing attack!" He seemed to have a trouble to understand the command but, once he figured out what I said, he attacked Golbat by hitting him with his wings repeatedly and energetically. "Well done, Hershey!" I congratulated him.

"I wonder why the effects of the confuse ray didn't work this time, but oh well. Golbat, use swift again!" This time, more stars came out of Golbat's wings. The hit was strong and that left Hershey visibly affected, he looked weaker. And sadly, I had no more superpotions left. I should have been more farsighted!

"Use quick attack, Hershey!" He did the same that when I commanded him to use aerial ace. This was getting too ugly…

"Good… Now use air cutter again and we will have finished!" Archie said while clenching his fists in a triumphant gesture.

"Hershey, dodge it!" But the confusion didn't allow him to obey my command and sadly, he fainted. "You did a good job, Hershey." I said returning him to his pokéball.

That was a real setback. I didn't know which pokémon I should send to battle next. Trevor had a type disadvantage and so did Berry. As for Venus, she still wasn't strong enough to battle. She needed serious training. Finally, I decided to send out Berry. I knew it was a risky option, but there wasn't any other exit.

"Okay Golbat. Use wing attack!" The bat pokémon slammed his wings against Berry, like he did all the other times.

"Berry, use draining kiss!" I knew the attack wouldn't do much damage and indeed, it didn't. But it's something.

I looked down for a moment and I saw the lava bubbling under my feet. I was thinking about what would happen if I lost the battle. It wasn't like I thought that the world was in my hands, but maybe I could contribute a bit to avoid a catastrophe.

"Golbat, use swift now!" A bunch of stars hit Berry at the speed of light.

I quickly thought of a little strategy. "Berry, use teleport!" She appeared right behind her opponent. "And now use magical leaf!" The glowing leaves slashed Golbat, who didn't saw it coming!

"You dirty cheater… Golbat, use air cutter!" The strong gust of air slashed my pokémon, who left out a pained cry. "And now, confuse ray!"

"Teleport, TELEPORT!" I cried desperately. I couldn't afford to have another pokémon dealing with the effects of confusion.

"Ugh… Confuse ray!" Archie knew what he was doing; he wanted to confuse my pokémon so his victory could be easier. But I wasn't going to allow that.

"Berry, dodge it and use draining kiss!" She kissed the opponent on the cheek, draining part of his energy. This time it seemed that she drained a bit more of energy than before.

"But wha…? Golbat, use swift, quick!" Archie was now the one who felt desperate.

"This might end here, Berry! Use magical leaf… at full power!" I said grinning. I knew what my pokémon were capable of. Archie would be very surprised! A lot of glowing leaves went from Berry's hands to Golbat. I wasn't really sure about if the attack would make him faint or not but… it did.

I congratulated Berry for her great job while Archie stared at us. I glanced at him and I noticed that he was preparing to release another pokémon. I thought that we already finished but no, now my pokémon had to confront another opponent! But my worries disappeared once I saw which pokémon it was: Sharpedo, a water and dark type pokémon. Thanks to Trevor, it would be a piece of cake! Or so I hoped, because you never know what your foe has in store. So I sent to the battle field my loyal starter.

"Trevor, use leaf blade!" I always ordered him to use said attack because it's one of the most powerful moves he knows. He cut his opponent with the sharp leaves on his wrists. As I knew, due to the type matchups, the attack did a good amount of damage.

But Archie didn't look very impressed. I immediately suspected he had something prepared "Sharpedo, use ice fang!" Ice fang? That was very dangerous! I observed totally scared how the water type bit Trevor while an icy mist came out of his mouth. Trevor cried desperately while the attack lasted but to my surprise, he didn't faint. However, the damage was still very considerable.

"Trevor, use megadrain!" He absorbed a good amount of energy from Sharpedo. Archie glared at his pokémon, thinking what to do next.

"Sharpedo, use ice fang again!"

"Trevor, avoid the attack!" My pokémon jumped high before Sharpedo could reach him.

"Use assurance!" Archie commanded to his pokémon. Sharpedo, obeying his trainer's order, crashed his head into Trevor's body. That caused him to fall to the ground, and it took him several seconds to stand up again.

I cheered him. "Well done, Trevor! Now, use fury cutter!" The leaves on Trevor's wrists glowed red and then he slashed repeatedly at his foe, which was already much weakened. The victory was almost ours!

"Sharpedo, do a last effort and use ice fang… AGAIN!" Archie was very upset, but now I was worried. What if this time the attack made Trevor faint?

And that almost happened; despite all the hits he received, Sharpedo bit Trevor fiercely. For a moment, I thought that Trevor fainted, but he suddenly stood up with difficulty. I wish I had some superpotions…

"Trevor, use megadrain, quickly!" Trevor raised his hands and released a green beam, which absorbed Sharpedo's remaining energy. And at that moment, we won the battle.

Archie seemed exhausted from the battle. "Oh! You went and did it, didn't you?" He said slightly bending over.

"I did what I had to do." I answered after I congratulated Trevor and I returned him to his pokéball.

"Heheheh. Ya little scamp! I knew you were the real deal!" He said trying to simulate a happy voice. "Brilliant! Then my team won't hold back this time! Mega Evolution, how I've missed you! It's been ages since we got to let loose!"

"Mega wha…?" I kept hearing new terms. "I might have to ask Steven. He might know something." I said to myself.

"Tch. Scamp, I'm gonna have to ask you to hold that thought."He interrupted me. "I've gotta use my time-out." Then someone called him on the phone. "Huh? That you, Matt? You have the worst timing… Hoh! So Mount Pyre's the real… Got it. Guess that orb's not just some fairy tale after all! All right, I'm on my way…! What, preparatives? Okay then. Call me when everything's ready." Then Archie hung the phone.

I stared at him with perplexity. So now they wanted to go to Mount Pyre? The place where pokémon and human alike go to rest… And he mentioned some orbs. If they were what I was thinking, then they were going for serious business! Suddenly, Archie made me snap out of my thoughts.

"Gotta put our battle on hold till next time." Archie approached me a bit more. "Take this. Should keep ya busy till we settle the score. Have fun with it, hey?" He just gave me the meteorite! Since he didn't need the meteorite anymore, he gave it to me, of course. Very clever, Archie! "Let's meet again somewhere. I'll be sure to remember that face." He pronounced the last sentence while walking away.

To be honest, I didn't want to see him anymore. I didn't want to have nothing to do with Team Aqua. I somewhat regretted the day I fought the grunts at Petalburg Woods. But still, maybe I would even save the world! The worst is that I thought that this would be the final battle, but he just made clear that I had a long road ahead before defeating them for once and for all.

And to make things "better", Maxie was walking towards me, followed by two of his soldiers.

"Here you are again, girl! It seems you are not to be trifled with, if you repelled Archie in battle."

"That was just matter of good luck." I muttered lowly. That's what I thought, honestly.

"What is that fool up to now? He abandoned the meteorite he sought so persistently?"

" He gave it to me because he apparently doesn't need it anymore." I expressed, although I wasn't sure if I should have said that. After all, Team Magma was an evil organization too.

"NO! Could it be possible that he has confirmed the existence of the orbs at last? Ngh! Again, I find myself outmaneuvered. What a terrible miscalculation." Then, Maxie left without saying a word.

Things just were getting more and more complicated. Arceus knows where all this matter would lead to…

I walked towards Josh to let him know that the battle was over.

"How did it go with Archie?" He said as soon as he saw me.

"It went well but… not as well as I expected."

"But did you win or not?"

"Yes, I won. But the conflict it's not over. Now they wanna go to Mount Pyre to get the orbs…" I said sighing after the last word. I was very tired; all I wanted at that moment was taking a shower and going to sleep.

"The orbs? I hope you aren't talking about the orbs in the legends! If they really exist and they have the power it's said they have, then we are bucked up!" Josh shrieked putting his hands above his head.

"I know, but I will try to avoid anything from happening. I know I'm just a regular person, but as you said before, I came across their path and now I feel like it's my task stopping them. I don't know if I will succeed or not, but I'll do my best. Meanwhile, I'll try to continue with my journey." I declared while I tried to calm Josh down.

"If you say so… You just defeated their leader, after all!"

"I know, but something tells me that the next time it will be even more complicated. And now, let's return to Fallarbor Town!" I exclaimed.

We had to walk all the way to Fallarbor Town. It was tiring, but we finally could relax. That day was too intense for me, but I knew there would be more like these to come. It was just matter of time.

When we arrived, we stopped in the pokémon center and we both healed our pokémon, whom really needed it. After that, Josh asked me what I would do next.

"Training for the next gym, of course! But first my pokémon and I need to rest." I announced while I sat at one of the couches.

"Yeah! I will be training too. I heard that the next gym leader's father is a former member of the Elite Four. And by the way, she's a specialist on fire types."

"Great! I have the perfect pokémon for that!" Of course, I was referring to Venus. But she needed to train hard.

"Well Emily, I gotta get going. See you next time! And remember, the next time we battle, I'll defeat you!" Josh said waving goodbye.

"Yeah, sure. Goodbye!"

Weeeell, now I had plenty of time for training my pokémon… and for thinking about all what happened that day.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The calm after the storm**

Two days passed from the incidents in Mount Chimney. It was a sunny Sunday morning and I was on Route 114, sitting on a bench while all of my pokémon were out for breakfast, which I prepared myself. In my opinion, pokémon should eat more natural food, that's why I don't usually buy pokéfood from markets. Yes, I feed them pokéfood from time to time because there are good brands, but I prefer to prepare their food by myself.

I observed how Berry executed a little dance, she danced just like a ballerina and it was very amusing. I clapped from time to time and I even took some pictures, which I sent to my parents. Oh, I might not tell you, but we keep in touch. What's more, yesterday they called me and what they said surprised me.

I was preparing a batch of food for my pokémon when my mobile phone rang. I looked at the screen and it was my mom's number.

"Hey mom!" I greeted cheerfully.

"Hello hun! How are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine! Yesterday I won my third gym badge…" I was interrupted by a triumphal exclamation from my mom. "…and I had some other intense battles." I said referring to the battles against Shelly and Archie. I still didn't want to tell her or my dad anything about the subject; I didn't want them to worry.

"On that matter… we know you had some pretty intense battles!" My mom exclaimed, while a kettle was heard in the background.

"How?"

"We saw you on TV!" She said. Her voice showed a mix of pride and concern.

"On TV?" I didn't know what to think. How did I appear on TV?

"Yes! I'll let your dad tell you." Then I could hear how she handed the telephone to my father.

"Hello Emily!" My dad greeted.

"Hello dad! When did I appear on TV?" I asked.

"On Friday. You were on Mount Chimney."

"Oh no…" They saw me battling Team Aqua!

"And you were battling a man dressed in blue… the leader of a criminal organization called Team Aqua."

"Yes." I simply said.

"Your mother and I, we want you to take care and be safe. Why did you have to approach them? They are dangerous!" My dad scolded me a bit. I was expecting that. No parents want their children involved with a criminal organization!

"I know dad, but everything will be fine, I promise! I know he seemed though, but defeating him was easier than it seems." I lied a bit… Yes, defeating him was relatively easy, but something told me that the next time I would have more problems.

"Are you sure? You must be careful with these people." My dad stated in a calmer voice.

"Yes, don't worry. I'll try to stop them as soon as possible. And if I don't succeed, someone else will!"

"You know, your mom and I, we trust you! And we know that you can do whatever you want to achieve if you put enough effort into it. Just be careful, okay?"

"Thank you, I will." I loved to hear those words. There's nothing better than your family's support!

We talked a bit more and then he gave the phone back to my mom. I asked her how I looked on TV and she said that I looked fine, but I looked a bit tiny because the images were from a news helicopter. Then we said goodbye to each other and I hung the phone.

And the day of the battle against Shelly and Archie, when I went to sleep, I had a somewhat disturbing dream: I was in an unknown location, and there was a severe storm. It was raining very heavily and thunders crashed making an unbearable noise. Then I could hear a deep, manly voice coming from nowhere…

"The day the moon and the sun are together…"

And it continued to rain. But suddenly, I was in a different location. It looked like the inside of a cave and there was a gigantic blue creature, which looked like a fish. And it looked at me like if he was expecting something from me. Its yellow eyes stared at me insistently and then it seemed to speak.

"It's up to you…"

Right after that, I woke up startled from the strange nightmare. I spent some time trying to ponder what such a cryptic dream could mean, but I decided to think that all those strange things originated in my mind from the stress of the intense day that I lived. I thought that hopefully, I wouldn't have to experience such a crazy day anymore, but there were more days like these to come…

Oh, and also I talked with Steven on the phone. Apparently, he also saw me on TV. He called me a couple of hours after my parents did. I wasn't surprised to see his name in the phone screen, since we texted each other somewhat frequently, like each two days or so. I wanted to get to know Steven a bit better since he looked like an interesting person.

"Hello Steven!"

"Hello Emily! How are you?"

"I'm fine. What about you?" I asked while I put my glasses in place. They tend to slip down a bit.

"I'm fine too. I was on my house revising my stone collection when certain reportage in the news, about someone who was fighting an organization called Team Aqua, went on. And I realized it was you, on Mount Chimney."

"Oh boy… you saw it too?" I just couldn't believe it!

"Yes. Why were you fighting them?" He asked with a serious tone.

"I just happened to be cross their path. One day, in Petalburg Woods, I saw two people harassing a man, who turned out to be a worked from Devon Corporation, and I decided to help him. But I didn't know that such a simple thing could get me in such a big trouble!"

"Emily, you must be careful with them. As you saw by yourself, they won't hesitate to steal stuff and, if things don't go their way, they might even use violence. Trust me, I also heard of them before." I didn't know if I should be scared of Team Aqua. They looked so harmless at first…

"Okay. My parents also warned me. I know what I have to do and as I told them, if I don't succeed trying to stop Team Aqua, someone else will. But I'll try my best."

I also explained him that they wanted now the orbs at Mount Pyre. Steven barely could contain a gasp.

"Then it sound like serious business! Do you know what you gotten yourself into?"

"Yes." I was starting to be aware of the magnitude of the events.

"Well then. I hope it goes well for you, Emily. I trust you. And be VERY careful!"

"Thank you Steven, I will." His concernment touched me.

We said good bye and I hung up. The calls of Steven and my parents made me feel like if I was mankind's last resource. I knew it wasn't the case, but that stressed me a bit. Promptly, I tried to distract my mind from those thoughts.

Going back to that Sunday morning, once my pokémon finished their breakfast, I allowed them to play for a while. Berry wanted to play hide-and-seek with me. It was very funny and eventually Trevor joined us. Meanwhile, Hershey preened his plumage and Venus swam in a small pond. I put a few blue Pokéblocks on her food. I didn't know why, but although just two days passed since I began to feed her the candies, something about Venus seemed slightly different. I couldn't tell what it was, but I was sure that there was something different about her.

After playing for a while, I returned all of my pokémon to their respective pokéballs. I ventured a bit further into Route 114. I wanted to train my pokémon, especially Venus, with the next gym battle in mind. I knew Venus would get stronger and that she would be the key against the gym leader.

I encountered some trainers along the way and I battled them. They were pretty strong and some even gave me serious problems. But the most important is that my pokémon were learning from their mistakes, and that would help them a lot for the rest of the journey.

And I also came across a very interesting person. She was a young woman dressed in black and orange. She wore an orange cap with a strange symbol. I decided to go and talk to her.

"Hi!"

"Hi! How can I help you?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"Well… I just wanted to talk a bit. Uh… Is that a uniform?" I asked awkwardly.

"Yes! I'm a pokémon ranger." She explained pointing at the symbol on her cap. "You never came across one?"

"Not really."

"Ah well. Since you approached me, I thought you were lost or something. So there's not any kind of problem, right?" The ranger inquired.

"No, it's all fine! But please, tell me more about the task of pokémon rangers. Now I'm curious."

"Sure! Our main tasks are protecting wild pokémon, keeping the environment safe and making sure travelers like you don't get injured or lost when walking through the wilderness." Wow, that sounded very interesting!

"And do you have to get any kind of special formation in order to become a pokémon ranger?"

"Yes. There's a Pokémon Ranger School in Fortree City. Most of the classes are taken outdoors. It's very entertaining!" She seemed very enthused while saying so. It was evident that she was happy with her job.

I explained her that I was in a journey, collecting all the badges, and that my intention was beating the Elite Four and maybe becoming the champion. She wished me luck and then we said goodbye. Being a pokémon ranger looks like a lot of fun!

But that wasn't the only remarkable event in my way through Route 114… I was walking quietly observing the grass when I noticed something strange: I saw a white little thing and I couldn't help but going to see what it was. I thought it was trash or something when I got a big fright: it wasn't a piece of trash, it was actually a pokémon!

" _Swablu loves to make things clean. If it spots something dirty, it will wipe and polish it with its cottony wings. If its wings become dirty, this Pokémon finds a stream and showers itself."_

I wanted to catch that pokémon. It was so cute! And I was sure that it would be very helpful for future battles. I was getting ready to grab a Super Ball when I lost sight of her. I wondered where she could have gone when I noticed that my head felt heavier. I took my left hand to my head and I touched something that felt like cotton.

"Is that you, Swablu?"

I received a chirp as a response.

"Well, then get off of my head so I can catch you."

I heard another chirp but the pokémon didn't obey me. Well, she didn't have to obey me, I wasn't her trainer! Yet…

Since the pokémon apparently had no intention of getting off of my head, I walked for a while with her perched on my head. I walked near trees to see if she wanted to leave my head, but nothing happened; I tried to lower my head to force her to get off, but still nothing happened. I just had one option:

I grabbed again the Super Ball and I thrown it, trying to aim at the pokémon. I succeeded and I turned around to see if the pokémon stayed, but no: she broke free. I thrown another Super Ball at her but she managed to break that one too. "This is going to be a bit complicated." I said to myself.

I distracted her by pointing at my head. She looked at me and once she was focused on what I was showing her, I thrown an Ultra Ball. The device rocked one, two and three times… And it was done! This capture was more difficult that all the other ones, but not that much after all.

I grabbed the pokéball while I tried to think about a witty nickname for my new partner. And then a name suddenly flashed across my mind.

"Cloudia!" I exclaimed at the pokéball which I was still holding in my hand. In my opinion, it really suited her!

I put the pokéball of my new party member on my bag. Now I had another pokémon to train for the gym battle. My plan was spending four days more and then heading to Lavaridge Town. The more the merrier, after all!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Burning failure**

The bright rays of sun didn't help me to feel calmer. That day I was going to confront Flannery, Lavaridge Town's gym leader. I was nervous because I had no pokémon that could be super effective against her fire types. Sure, I had Venus, but all she knew was tackle and splash. Anyway, I trusted my pokémon.

I spent almost a week training in the nearest routes. It wouldn't be cool if all our efforts ended up being in vain! When someone spends so much time working so hard on something, they expect to get good results, am I right?

When I finished my breakfast, I packed up my stuff and I walked towards the gym. Yes, that day all I wanted was going straight to the point! My intention was finishing with that and move on as soon as possible. Also, I still had Team Aqua in my mind and I wondered when they would attack again. I knew they planned going to Mount Pyre but, when? I made a gesture with my head, as if I was trying to make those thoughts go away. Now my focus was on the gym battle!

Lavaridge Town isn't very big; I could arrive to the gym very soon. On the inside, the gym turned out to be a bathhouse full of steam. The floor and the walls were made of rocks. The appearance of the place invited to relax, but I wasn't there to relax: I was there to win my fourth gym badge!

After a while, I spotted who I supposed was Flannery: a young redheaded girl who wore a high ponytail, a black shirt which was tied in a knot, revealing her midriff, and a pair of jeans. I approached her with the obvious intention of starting a battle.

"Welcome!" Flannery greeted. She seemed to be alright at first, but then…

"Hi! I came here to…"

"No, wait!" She interrupted me all of sudden. "I mean… puny trainer, you've done well to make it this far!"

"Excuse me? Are you okay?" I said, noticing how nervous she was. But she continued to ramble.

"Let's see. I'm, uh, honored to be serving as the gym leader of… No, I mean… I'm Flannery and I'm in charge there! Uh… You'd better don't underestimate me just 'cause I've only been leader a short time!" Well, that explained everything! "With the skills inherited from my grandfather, I'm gonna, uh, demonstrate the hot moves we've honed in this land! Hiyaaaaaaaa!" And with that, she released her first pokémon, a Slugma. I think she was way too nervous. But that didn't mean that battling her would be easier…

I chose to send out Cloudia to the battle field. Definitely, it wasn't as risky as sending out Trevor in the first place. I had to be careful with the choices I made in that battle. Flannery allowed me to attack first.

"Cloudia, use mist!" She opened her mouth and a thick white cloud sprayed out of it. That way, I protected my pokémon from getting burn.

"Uh… well played! But this just started! Slugma, use rock throw!" And at that moment, I knew I was in a serious problem.

The fire type released multiple rocks from her body, which were directed at Cloudia. The attack left her very close to fainting, but luckily, I had a superpotion. However, it was the only one left and if she got attacked like that again and happened to resist the hit, I wouldn't be able to cure her.

"Cloudia, use round, you can do it!" Cloudia opened her beak and released a high pitched note, causing blue circles to come out of her mouth. As the circles approached her opponent, they grew bigger. The Slugma had a pained expression. We were doing well! Or so I thought…

"Slugma, use rock throw again!" The attack damaged Cloudia a lot but, for my surprise, she didn't faint. But it was matter of time; she only needed to be hit again.

"Cloudia, use fury attack!" She was very weakened, but still managed to jab Slugma several times using her beak, which was glowing white while she performed the attack. But our luck wasn't going to last very long.

"Slugma, use overheat and you'll be done!" Then the fire type opened her mouth letting go a powerful blast of orangish yellow fire, making Cloudia faint.

"You did a good job, Cloudia. I said while I returned her to her pokéball.

I tried to ponder which pokémon I should use next. All of them would have it very difficult to win. I was thinking about sending Berry, although it was a dangerous decision, since she had a type disadvantage. I also felt very stupid: how couldn't I foresee that they would have rock type moves? But yeah, nobody is perfect!

I ended up deciding to choose Berry. She made a little pirouette when I released her from the spherical device. Berry didn't know that she would have almost no time to fight…

"Berry, use magical leaf!" I didn't know which other attack she should use. She raised her hand and as always, a bunch of glowing leaves flew towards the opponent and slashed her, but as it's obvious, it didn't do much damage. I was starting to feel desperate. I trusted my pokémon but at the same time, I knew we might lose the battle.

"Slugma, use sunny day, now!" The eyes of Slugma turned white for a moment, and then released a beam of light towards the sun. There was a window in the room and the sunlight entered through it. After that, it seemed that the sunshine was more intense than before. I wondered what would happen next, but I knew that it wouldn't be good…

"Berry, draining kiss, now!" I cried, knowing that again, it wouldn't be very effective. She managed to kiss the burning's pokémon cheek, causing a yellow orb to appear and fly towards her, absorbing part of her opponent's energy. But it almost looked as if the attack had no effect.

But what happened next… what happened next made me open my mouth wide in shock. Flannery commanded her Slugma to use overheat again. But this time, the blast of fire was huger and even more powerful than before. And the attack made Berry faint almost immediately. Huh, so that's what sunny day is for?

I withdrew Berry while I told her that she did a good job, knowing that it would happen with all of my pokémon. It was a lost battle, I had the feeling that it would be very complicated and I was right! I sent out Trevor knowing that it wouldn't last very long. I didn't want him to be defeated, but that's how things work. And I was right: it only took Slugma to use overheat two times to take him down. Oh boy, how I wished that Venus knew a powerful water type movement!

Hershey was the next. He could use aerial ace twice, due to his high speed. But still, Slugma just needed to use rock throw and then overheat to get rid of my pokémon. And next it was Venus's turn. Maybe she would surprise me and manage to defeat her opponents. But all she could do was tackle the rival pokémon.

"Slugma, use overheat!" Because of the type matchups, the attack didn't do much damage, but it still hurt Venus. I was feeling so dumbfounded… it was the first time I lost a gym battle. Well, at that point I didn't lose yet, but I knew I was going to, despite how much I trusted (and I trust) my pokémon.

"Venus, use tackle!" She used her small body to hit the body made of her magma composed opponent. Venus hit him with all of her energy, and it was clear that she was stronger than the first time I made her battle a wild pokémon. And also, there was that different light she had… I don't know how to explain it.

"Slugma, use rock throw again!" Slugma executed her attack again. Despite the type disadvantage, it did an important damage. The battle was coming to an end and I knew it wasn't going to be favorable to me nor my pokémon. Well, these things always happen… But it's still upsetting, very upsetting!

I ordered Venus to use tackle again, but her opponent dodged the attack. Then, Flannery commanded her Slugma to use rock throw "at full power", which finally ended the battle, much for my dismay. I stared at my fainted pokémon, still unable to believe what happened before my eyes. No, I'm not saying that I didn't expect to lose a battle, because I already did a few times with random trainers. I'm not the best and I must admit that, but I worked very hard to improve and I already made it so far! Don't forget that I'm telling you this story from the Pokémon League building! Oh sorry, I think I derailed from the important subject…

"You did an excellent job, Venus." I whispered while I returned her to her own pokéball. I felt a bit disappointed with myself… I didn't want to blame my pokémon. It was my fault, because I didn't have a good strategy and I was unable to anticipate the rock type moves of Flannery's pokémon when I sent out Cloudia. But anyway, I'm no pythoness!

"I won! No, err… You lost! I mean… I won't give you the badge! No! See you soon!" Flannery still was unable of finding the correct way of treating her challengers. She seemed a nice girl, but it was obvious that she felt very nervous.

I said goodbye to Flannery, promising to return very soon. And my goal was spending two days training very hard with my pokémon, almost from sunrise to sunset. But of course, allowing them to rest. I also had to prepare a good strategy. If I learned an important lesson during this time, is that pokémon battles are 85 percent strategy and the rest is up to the pokémon and the trainer's skills.

I went straight to the Pokémon Center in order to restore my pokémon's health, they really needed it.

Immediately after that I went to a cafeteria; I needed to relax and think about how I would manage things for the rematch. I had to grit my teeth, since the strongest gym leaders were next, although Flannery is one of them, as she demonstrated me.

I sat at one of the tables, as far as possible of the entrance. I wanted to be alone in order to think well about what I should do. But my solitude was interrupted by the last person I would imagine to see over that place…

"Hey Emily!" A familiar voice greeted. I turned around to discover that the one calling my name was Steven.

I got up from my chair to greet him. One must be polite at all times, even after a complete failure! Or should I say… a burning failure?

"Hello Steven! What brings you here?"

"I was searching rocks in the nearest routes, and I came there to rest for a while and now you happen to be there too! How are you?"

"Not very well." I answered before taking a sip of soda.

"What happened?" Steven said while fiddling with one of the multiple rings he wore.

"I just lost a gym battle. I came here to think about how I should prepare my pokémon and myself for the next round."

"Oh well… That happens more often that you might think. Do you have any water type pokémon?"

"Yes! I have a Feebas but all she can do is tackle and splash."

"Umm…" He remained silent for a while, as if he was pondering something. "Are you feeding him blue pokéblocks?"

"Yes! And ishe/i loves them! I give her several blue pokéblocks per day, and sometimes I even make them by myself. And lately, I've been feeling something different about her, it happened shortly after I began feeding her the pokéblocks."

"Good! Then keep feeding her blue pokéblocks. You might see something surprising very soon…" Steven didn't want to reveal what it was about, but it sounded like something great.

Then I remembered my conversation with Archie back at Mount Chimney and how he mentioned something about mega evolution, key stones and I don't know what else. I decided to ask Steven about the subject, he might know something.

"I warn you, this explanation will be somewhat long."

"I don't care; I want to learn everything about mega evolution!" I smiled after taking yet another sip of soda.

"Well, here I go: mega evolution is similar to a regular evolution, but at the same time is very different: mega evolution just takes place when some concrete factors are given: first of all, not all pokémon have the ability of mega evolving, but it's thought that there's more pokémon who can mega evolve other than the ones we already know about." I nodded to let him know that I was listening. "Also, the pokémon must be holding an appropriate mega stone and the trainer must have a key stone, which works with any mega stone. But even more important: they must have a strong bond. If not, the pokémon won't mega evolve. Oh, and it's not a permanent status. It just takes place during battle."

"Aha, so basically, mega evolution is like normal evolution but it only happens during battle. And then you need certain objects and a strong bond with your pokémon to make it work, right?"

"Exactly! I see you understood it quickly." He congratulated.

"Yeah… I was just wondering, because the other day Team Aqua kept talking about that."

"I see... I'm sure you will be able to mega evolve your pokémon someday. What's more: I'll see if I can get a key stone for you." He announced, without changing his calm demeanor.

"No, you don't need to do that!" I refused politely. Why should he take the bother?

"Yes, I will do it! Because that's what friends are for." Friends? I really didn't think about that. But it made me happy to know I had a new friend.

"Okay. Then I will be waiting for it. But how do I know if my pokémon can mega evolve?"

"You can tootle it, there's an amazing guide online listing all of the species that are known to mega evolve. I hope I helped you."

"Yes, you did. Thanks a lot Steven!"

"You're most welcome." He said with that polite and calm conduct that characterizes him.

When we finished our drinks, we said goodbye and I headed towards the hostel I was staying in, getting ready for the intense work of the next two days. And now that I knew what I had to know about mega evolution, I was sure that I could use it in the future against Team Aqua and the rest of gym leaders. And maybe even the against the Elite Four and the champion!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Inner beauty**

It was done. I already spent those two intense days training with my pokémon. And it wasn't tiring at all! We all enjoyed the experience and I even bonded a bit more with all my team, especially with Cloudia, the newest member. As Steven told me, I fed Venus plenty of blue pokéblocks. After the two days of hard training, she seemed to feel a bit more confident about herself. Actually, she's one of the pokémon whom which I spent more time training. Now it was time to defeat Flannery, this was our time!

I walked out of the hostel, saying to myself "I won't have to spend another night!" After defeating Flannery, my plan was going straight to Petalburg City in order to fight against Norman and win yet another gym badge. And maybe, then I'd go to visit my parents. Talking to them on the phone is not the same that talking face to face!

When I entered the gym, Flannery was cleaning a stain in the wall. It looked like someone threw a strawberry cake against it. Maybe it was an angry challenger who happened to be carrying a strawberry cake at the time, huehuehue!

"Flannery, I'm here again!" I announced grabbing Hershey's pokéball from my bag. This time I had a plan.

"Good, I will win again! No, wait! Let's fight! Yes, that's it. Let's fight!" She still couldn't find the proper words to address a challenger.

"It's our time, Hershey!" I cheered while I released my flying type.

"Go ahead, Slugma!"

I decided to send out Hershey first because this time I would rely on his speed. I allowed Flannery to move first, that day I felt very confident. I wasn't being arrogant; I just had the feeling that due to the hard work my team and I did in the last days, this time the battle would be way easier.

"Slugma, use rock throw!"

"Hershey, avoid the attack and use aerial ace!" My pokémon dodged the rocks with a graceful move and countered the attack by flying into his opponent, leaving behind streaks of white light. I smiled with satisfaction upon seeing how well the maneuver worked.

"It… it looks like you improved!" Flannery muttered.

"No, WE improved!" I responded, feeling proud of Hershey. But the battle just begun, there were still many things to do.

"Slugma, use overheat on your opponent!" This time, Hershey had no time to dodge it.

"Hershey, use quick guard!" He opened his wings and his body became outlined in red. That would protect him from Slugma's attack.

"Slugma, use rock throw!" Obviously, the attack didn't work this time.

"Hershey now, use wing attack!" Hershey spread his wing wide and hit his opponent with almost all his strength. Surprisingly, his attack did a good amount of damage.

"Slugma, use rock throw again, come on!" This time, the attack hit Hershey. Luckily, I bought plenty of superpotions the day before.

I cured Hershey, but his role in the battle ended, unless I needed him for an emergency, which didn't happen. You'll see why…

"You did an excellent job, Hershey! But now it's time to rest." Flannery observed me with attention. "It's your turn, Venus!"

"Oh, you are bringing out your Feebas again! You must be feeling very confident! No, I mean…! Good choice! Now, Slugma, use rock throw again!" The fire type released rocks from her body, which impacted with Venus. But, as the resistant pokémon she is, it didn't affect her a lot.

"Venus, use tackle now!" It might sound silly, but I expected Venus to defeat all the opponents. And I wasn't mistaken, because something was going to change in less than two minutes! But meanwhile, she slammed her body against the magma composed pokémon. All the hard work of the previous days was noticeable.

"I know it's not very smart but… Slugma, use overheat!" The pokémon released a blast of fire, which didn't damage Venus that much.

"Use tackle again!" I commanded to my pokémon. She did just like before, this time with more power.

"Slugma, use light screen!" A golden wall appeared in front of her. I guessed that the attack would protect her from certain attacks or something.

And then, the unexpected happened: you all should have been there to comprehend how it feels… A white light surrounded all of sudden Venus's body. No way, she was evolving! I couldn't imagine that it would happen. My heart was beating with anticipation; I didn't know how she would look like after the process ended. I saw how her fish body morphed into a serpentine figure. "What kind of transformation is this?" I was asking myself.

Soon enough, I discovered it, and I opened my mouth in awe: Venus just became a very beautiful pokémon! She was truly the most beautiful creature I ever seen! What would her former trainer think if he saw her now?

I eagerly grabbed my Pokédex to register the data of Venus's evolved form. I was standing before a Milotic.

i"Milotic lives at the bottom of large lakes. When this Pokémon's body glows a vivid pink, it releases a pulsing wave of energy that brings soothing calm to troubled hearts."/i

I named her Venus because I knew she possessed inner beauty, but I wasn't expecting this! I must make myself clear; I love my pokémon, no matter how they look. But this change made me very emotional, to the point I actually was in the verge of tears. I approached my newly evolved pokémon to congratulate her.

"See, Venus? I knew you could do it!" I managed to babble while I hugged her. When she was a Feebas, her scales had a rough touch, but now they were very soft. She returned the hug coiling softly her lower body around my legs. After several seconds, I left her go.

There are no words to describe how proud I felt of her! As I think I already said before, seeing one of your pokémon evolve is like watching your children growing up. And I knew she felt very grateful for all I did for her. If I didn't take her with me, Arceus knows where she would have ended up!

I wasn't very sure which attack I should tell her to use next since very often, when a pokémon evolves, they learn a new attack. But I didn't know if that was the case with Venus, until she turned around and gave me a confident look. I knew she was up to something. Then, a large ring of water appeared around Venus's body. After said ring expanded, it hit Slugma… making her faint. So, she just used water pulse!

"Oh my Arceus, is this possible?!" I exclaimed, very surprised. Of course it was possible! That Slugma was already damaged; the super effective attack did the rest. "Well done, Venus!"

"Eh… I'm NOT done YET! It's your turn Lum… I mean, Numel!" A yellow, quadruped pokémon was released from her pokéball. Her sleepy expression was somewhat endearing! But Venus still had to defeat her… "Numel, use earth power!" Numel began to glow and the ground began to crack, making everything shake. At a given moment, the cracks reached Venus, hurting her.

"Venus, use water pulse again!" She performed the attack just as she did before. And as it's obvious, it did a good deal of damage to her rival.

"Now, Numel, use lava plume!" The pokémon caused a startling explosion around herself, making a blast of lava erupt from the ground. Said blast hit Venus in no time, but luckily it didn't cause much damage.

I wanted to test how powerful her tackle was now, so I commanded her to use that attack next. And since now she was stronger and her body was heavier, it was way more powerful than before, but not enough to make Numel faint. Anyway, I was going to change that attack in the future to replace it why a more powerful one.

After that, Flannery commanded her Numel to use earth power again. This time it seemed to damage Venus a bit more. I used a superpotion just in case, because you never know. But anyway, we just needed another water pulse to defeat Numel! This time, it was clear like water that we were going to win. Or at least, I hoped so.

Flannery sent out to battle her last pokémon, a powerful looking Torkoal. I allowed Venus to stay; she was going to be the one finishing off the business.

"I… I trust you Torkoal! Now, use body slam!" The pokémon jumped onto the air and dropped herself into Venus with her full body weight. It was terrifying, because for a moment it looked like she got squashed under Torkoal's weight.

Ah, I should have used that superpotion later! But luckily, Venus wasn't that much damaged. For a while, she looked pensive. And then, she gave me that confident look again. Next, her tail began to glow blue and she hit Torkoal with it. Dragon tail! She just learned another good move. That was just getting better!

"There's no use in making you execute sunny day so… Use overheat!" Torkoal opened her mouth and it glowed white. Then she fired a white flame that had a red-orange flame spiraling around it. The power of the attack made Venus back up while she cried a bit. That Torkoal sure was strong!

"Venus, use dragon tail just like you did before!" Her glowing tail impacted her rival's shell. I knew we were closer to winning the battle! I was hoping that Flannery didn't have any hidden trick…

"Use body slam, Torkoal!"

"Venus, avoid the attack and use water pulse!" Venus moved away from Torkoal, who fell abruptly to the floor. Next, she used water pulse finishing her opponent off and adding another victory to the list!

I ran towards Venus to congratulate her while Flannery did the same with her Torkoal before withdrawing her. I also returned Venus to her pokéball and just after that, Flannery approached me, visibly calmer.

"I guess I was trying to hard… I… I've only recently become a gym leader."

"Don't worry about that! It's completely normal to feel nervous when you are in such an important place." I tried to cheer her up.

"Yeah… I guess I was trying too hard and I pretended to be someone I'm not. And when I don't act like myself, no wonder pokémon that battle at my side get confused."

"You don't have to pretend to be though! You are already a strong trainer. That's why you are a gym leader, after all!"

"Thank you… thank you for teaching me that. You deserve this." She gave me a shiny badge, shaped like a wisp of fire.

"Thanks a lot, Flannery!"

"You're most welcome!"

After we said goodbye, I stepped out from the gym with a victorious smile across my face. My next stop would be good old Petalburg City. I was already in the middle of my journey, and the most intense moments were very close…


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Not a monkey business**

The very first time I saw Norman, I was just a little girl. He came to my school as a special guest, to talk about the duties of a gym leader. And I think that he contributed a lot to spark my interest in training pokémon. I wasn't really looking up to him. But as I said, his words and hearing the experiences of the kids who just got into training pokémon, made me want to try out the experience too. And as you're all seeing, I'm enjoying it a lot!

But that day, he was going to be my rival. Before that, I spent a whole day training with my crew and testing a bit more Venus's new skills. I knew Norman was a very strong trainer; he was very admired and respected. I must admit that I also admire him, and now my objective was beating Norman in battle.

I arrived to Petalburg City very soon, since aside from training, the day before we approached bit to bit our new destination so the journey wouldn't be so obnoxiously long. It wasn't very hard to spot the gym; it was one of the most noteworthy buildings in the city, aside from the high school.

I healed my team in the pokémon center and I quickly headed towards the gym. In the inside it looked like a dojo, which is curious, because Norman is a specialist in normal types and not fighting types. I approached him with firm steps.

"Hi! My name is Emily and I'm here to challenge you."

"Mm-hmm, I see. Nice to meet you, Emily. My name is Norman and I'm Petalburg's City gym leader. If you made it this far, this means you are a worthy opponent." Haha, he didn't remember me! But of course, why would he remember me if I saw him many years ago and I was in a crowd of excited little children?

"I think I am." I expressed answering to his last statement.

"Well then. Let's start! Go Slaking!" An enormous pokémon made his appearance. It looked very lazy, observing me with those eyes encircled in brown, like if he wanted to end the battle as soon as possible in order to be able to take his daily nap. To be honest, it was kinda intimidating.

"Go, Trevor!" As I do most of the times, I sent out my starter pokémon. I always trusted him, and I always will! Norman's pokémon attacked first.

"Slaking, use feint attack!" The tired looking pokémon pointed up and Trevor stared in that direction, trying to find out what was up there. But it was a maneuver to distract him: I didn't have any time to react. Slaking used his left hand to hit Trevor powerfully, slamming him against the floor. Appearances sure deceive a lot!

"Don't let that bring you down, Trevor! Use leaf blade!" As soon as he could stand up, he slashed at his opponent, while the leaves on his wrists glowed white. I could tell Slaking was moderately freaking out over the speed with which my Trevor hit him.

The two first attacks were intense. I would do my best to impress Norman!

"Slaking, use feint attack again!"

"Trevor, use leaf blade again!"

Both commands were made almost at the same time. Trevor hit first, since he's the faster of the two, his attack landed first. That's the advantage of having a fast pokémon!

"Slaking, use retaliate!" The big pokémon hit Trevor with one of his hands as soon as my starter finished executing the attack. This was one of the most intense battles I've had, that's for sure!

I pondered which attack I should tell Trevor to use next. I went for megadrain. That way, he recovered part of the energy he lost due to his rival's attacks. Next, it was Norman and Slaking's turn.

"Slaking, yawn!" Oh no, I heard of that attack before! The opponent releases pink bubbles from the mouth and if they reach their rival, the target falls asleep. So I promptly thought about something.

"Trevor, use agility!" He jumped out of the way of the bubbles, dodging the attack successfully. Yay, it did the trick!

"I must admit that you are very skilled, Emily! But you haven't seen all of my pokémon's power! Slaking, use retaliate!" And almost without moving of his spot, Slaking almost sent Trevor flying to the wall with a powerful smack. Anyway, I must say that Norman's words prior his pokémon's attack made me feel very confident.

I ran towards Trevor and I sprayed him with a superpotion so he could retrieve the energy that he lost with that powerful hit. Yes, I know he could have used megadrain, but with the superpotion Trevor recovered much faster.

"Trevor, use fury cutter!" As the leaves on his wrists glowed red, he slashed repeatedly at Slaking.

"Now Slaking, use encore!" Encore, really? Slaking pointed at Trevor and waved his finger around. Now Trevor was forced to use encore time and time again until his opponent fainted…

"Okay… use fury cutter again!" This was with no doubt a positive point for us.

Slaking was already feeling weak and since fury cutter becomes more powerful if you use it often in a battle, we would defeat him soon. However, he was just Norman's first pokémon.

"Slaking, use yawn!" This time, the pink bubbles reached Trevor. For a moment, he felt a bit drowsy and the he fell asleep. "And now, use retaliate!" My pokémon was again sent flying to the wall.

But there was nothing to worry about! Luckily, I had an awakening. As soon as Trevor woke up, he ran towards Slaking and slashed at him using the sharp leaves on his wrists. Slaking countered the attack using retaliate, but Trevor could avoid it in time. Anyway, he used fury cutter again.

Slaking was about to faint. Norman told him to use feint attack once more. After being hit, Trevor attacked with fury cutter for the last time, defeating his opponent for once and for all.

"That was excellent, but I still have two pokémon left. Go, Vigoroth!" A new pokémon appeared. This one was a white, bipedal pokémon with a teardrop-shaped tuft of red fur on his forehead. For my surprise, it turned out to be Slaking's pre-evolution. Vigoroth is much more active than Slaking.

I decided to switch my pokémon. I sent Cloudia to the battle field. I knew that she would do much better in this gym battle… Unless Vigoroth knew any rock type moves.

"Vigoroth, use fury swipes!" What I was thinking got demonstrated immediately: Vigoroth was by far faster than his evolved form. He slashed at Cloudia with his claws in an "X" formation. Cloudia flew away from her opponent as soon as she could.

"Cloudia, take down!" Despite her small size, Cloudia tackled down Vigoroth with great force. Even Norman stared astonished at what my little pokémon just caused.

"Very well… Vigoroth, use feint attack!" Pretty much like Slaking did before, Vigoroth managed to distract Cloudia and smacked her afterwards. I tried to tell her that she was being fooled, but all happened too fast.

"No worries, Cloudia. Use mist!" She opened her mouth and a thick white cloud sprayed out of it. With that, I wanted to keep Cloudia from falling asleep, just in case that Vigoroth knew the move yawn too.

Norman ordered his pokémon to use retaliate. He smacked at Cloudia with great force, sending her to the floor abruptly. For a moment, I was afraid that she could have fainted but luckily, she was all right.

"Cloudia, use aerial ace!" She disappeared in a quick flight and then reappeared behind Vigoroth, hitting him by surprise. I checked Norman's reaction and he was serious and looking very pensive.

"Vigoroth, use fury swipes!"

"Use aerial ace again!" Cloudia avoided her opponent and attacked him again.

"Vigoroth, use retaliate!" As soon as Cloudia finished her attack, Vigoroth smacked her again the floor again. I quickly sprayed her with a superpotion; I wanted Cloudia to finish this battle.

Since I lost my turn healing my pokémon, Norman commanded his pokémon to attack again. This time, he used feint attack. But unlike the other time, I warned Cloudia in time and she responded her opponent's attack using take down. This battle was being so much fun!

"Cloudia, round!" She attacked Vigoroth with a song. Yes, I know it sound ridiculous, but that's what round does! And by the way, it did a good amount of damage.

"Vigoroth, now use fury swipes!" He slashed with his claws at Cloudia. Vigoroth performed the attack with an extraordinary force; I even used another superpotion just in case. This time, I had plenty of them!

After that and under his trainer's command, Vigoroth used encore. Again, Cloudia had no choice but using again and again the last attack she performed. In this case, it was round. The musical notes hit Vigoroth strongly, leaving him a bit dazed.

"Use retaliate, now!" Norman ordered.

"Cloudia, avoid it and use round!" She flew up and the circles of musical notes hit her opponent once more. This time, we were closer to another victory!

"Vigoroth, use feint attack!" This time he attacked too quickly for Cloudia to avoid the attack. But anyway, the battle ended very soon. Cloudia only had to use round once more and Vigoroth fainted!

I congratulated Cloudia for her excellent job and then I switched my pokémon once more. This time, it was Berry's turn. I knew she would do very well in this gym. Norman released another Slaking. Altought he was equally lazy, this Slaking looked a bit more powerful than the first one. We couldn't lower our guard yet! This time, Norman allowed me to attack first.

"Berry, use calm mind!" She created a glowing sphere from in between her hands. That would power up her following attacks.

"Slaking, retaliate!" The huge pokémon slapped Berry powerfully. It was evident that this Slaking was much stronger than the first one. But that was no problem for us.

"Berry, use draining kiss!" Berry gave her opponent a little peck on the cheek, draining part of his energy. Slaking was dazed for a few seconds, but he recovered quickly.

"Slaking, use feint attack!" This time, Slaking pretended to be looking away so Berry lowered her guard, and then suddenly he punched her. I think I don't need to say that the attack took Berry totally by surprise!

"Berry, it's time to use magical leaf!" Thanks to the use of calm mind, her attacks were more powerful and so was her defense. The leaves she created by bringing her hands forward slashed at her opponent.

"Slaking, use swagger!" The lazy looking pokémon stared at Berry in an intimidating manner, while a red aura surrounded it. Well, this was a problem…

"Okay Berry, try to focus and use magical leaf again!" She could perform the attack successfully! That was awesome.

Norman ordered his pokémon to use retaliate. I tried to tell Berry to dodge the attack, but since she was confused, instead of going away from Slaking, she approached him! Then I told her to use draining kiss but instead, she smacked herself in the face. Oh Arceus, this one seemed to be more complicated than I expected!

"Slaking, use feint attack!"

"Berry, listen to me and use draining kiss!" Berry waddled her way towards her opponent and executed the attack successfully. Great!

"Slaking, chip away!" He smacked my pokémon against the floor exactly when he knew that she wouldn't see it coming. It took Berry a few seconds that seemed eternal to stand up again.

Then I told Berry to use magical leaf. Luckily, she could ignore the effects of swagger, which allowed Berry to attack her opponent.

"Slaking, now proceed to use retaliate!" He hit Berry with the back of his hand, sending her to the wall. I sprayed her with a superpotion to prevent her from fainting. That Slaking sure was a hard nut to crack! But so were my pokémon.

This time Slaking used feint attack. Berry tried to counter the attack with magical leaf but she hit herself in confusion. Surprisingly, after that, she looked more alert to her surroundings. The effects of swagger finally disappeared!

"Slaking, use chip away!" When Slaking was about to attack, I commanded Berry to use teleport and right after that, draining kiss. The combination of the attacks worked very well and we were closer to winning the gym match.

Norman sighed before continuing. "Slaking, use swagger!"

"Berry, ignore him and use calm mind! Then, use magical leaf!"Since calm mind boosted her attack once more, it only took her to use magical leaf to defeat her opponent. I predicted that it would happen that way, that's why I did it!

Norman withdrew his Slaking and walked towards me with a serene expression.

"That was a wonderful match, I must say. But at the same time, I can't believe I lost to you… You really impressed me. And that's why I'm going to give you this." He gave me my fifth badge, shaped like two circles counterbalancing each other.

"This has been by far the best gym battle I had. Thank you Norman!"

I said goodbye and I left. But, before that, he announced me that now I would be able to use surf, which would be very useful for my transportation. I taught it to Venus and before going to visit my parents, I decided to try out the move in the nearby Route 118. What I didn't know was that taking that path would bring a great change to my life…


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Lovestruck**

After teaching Venus how to surf, I released her in the water and I proceeded to ride her back. The sensation of moving across the water was amazing; there are no words to describe how it feels… I was having a lot of fun and so did Venus. Being a water type, it was clear that she enjoyed being in her natural environment, even if it just was the surface of the sea.

We were in Route 118. About fifteen minutes passed until we saw land again.

"Well Venus that was an amazing ride. Thank you!" I said patting Venus's head before returning her to her pokéball.

After just a few steps, I recognized a familiar figure. I approached a bit more and I realized it was Steven. I messaged him the day before about my victory against Flannery, so I thought that it would be an amazing moment to talk to him about my new gym badge!

"Hey!" I exclaimed in a friendly manner.

"Why, hello Emily! How is it going?"

"Very, very well! I come from defeating Norman, look!" I said while showing him the case where I keep my badges.

"Congratulations! It's good to see that your journey is going well. You know, Emily…" Ah, he was going to deliver a speech! "…in this vast world, there are many kinds of pokémon. They come in many types. Should you raise different types? Or will you raise pokémon of a certain type you like? I wonder what you think, as a pokémon trainer?"

"Well, I'm not focusing on a concrete type. I just catch those pokémon with whom I sense a special connection from the first time I see them. That's what happened with all of the pokémon in my team." I explained to him.

"That's great, and I think your pokémon must feel a strong bond with you too. But what I asked is not like it's anything I should be concerning myself with… But somehow I find myself wanting to know what you think."

"It's okay, it's completely normal I think." And I also thought that we could get to know each other better talking about subjects like that.

"Oh, good. Well Emily, I wish we could talk more but I think I should be going. I hope to see you again!"

I said goodbye and he couldn't even make a step when something… better said, someone, stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Tioooos!" A non-human voice echoed.

"Latios!" Steven exclaimed.

"What." I said in a flat tone, trying to process what unfolded before my eyes.

Latios, a pokémon I only knew from stories and legends was now there, before my own eyes! I never imagined I would witness something like that, what they call… a legendary pokémon. And if a legendary pokémon decided to show up before two mere mortals, it meant that some serious business was going on!

"Do you want us to soar somewhere with you?" Steven asked Latios maintaining his calm demeanor at all times.

"Tiooos!" The white and blue pokémon responded.

"Emily, come with me. Latios… I believe that it sought us out for help. If that's the case, let's go! And Emily, hold on tight to me, or you might fall!" He warned.

"Fine!" I exclaimed while I encircled his waist with my arms.

And in that exact moment, something vibrated inside me… To this day, I still can't describe whit exact words what I felt. Let's see… It felt like if thousands of fireworks exploded inside me and no, it wasn't because of riding Latios. It was more because of the person I was holding on to… But of course I felt special riding a legendary pokémon! It's just that a more powerful feeling was getting in the middle.

When Latios took flight, I couldn't contain a horrified shriek. I didn't expect him to be so fast!

"That's what I told you to hold me tight!" Steven spoke loudly, trying to be heard. The sound of the wind was almost deafening. We were flying at a terrific speed!

"I see…" I said, still trying to decode what I was feeling.

The strange sensation didn't disappear, it was even more intense. I pulled him a bit closer to me, but not enough for him to notice. It's just that suddenly I needed to have him close, very close. I could even feel his smell, Steven smelt of expensive cologne and it was really pleasing for me.

I wondered how much the ride would last because… I wanted it to last forever. I could see the whole region of Hoenn, I swear! I saw Petalburg City, the top of Mount Chimney and even some sort of island with what it looked like a huge red building... I saw everything! It was amazing! And plus, I had Steven near me. At that moment, I had no idea why I had that sensation, but I would find out that night. But now, let's talk about another subject, shall we?

After a while, the crazy trip finished. Latios landed in an island that looked like it came straight from a fairytale.

"We've arrived. Thank you, Latios." Steven said goodbye to the legendary pokémon.

"Thank you!" I thanked Latios too.

Once Latios left, I noticed a weird sensation in the environment. It wasn't for Steven's presence, no. I mean that I felt like if there was somebody in the island in need of help.

"Can you feel that, Steven?" I asked, aware that he was sensing something strange too.

"Yes… I don't know what it is… Not quite unease, not quite fear… But there's something… unsettling… it is an odd feeling, as though I'm walking in a dream."

"True! There's something special about this place and I cannot tell exactly what it is." I exposed while I approached him a bit more, which I did almost without realizing.

"Yes… I once heard an odd fable. It's said that the two pokémon that live on this island guard some secret about the great form of evolution: mega evolution."

"Oh yes! I think heard it before. And it looks like Latios is one of those two pokémon. But what is going on?"

"I don't know… could it be that some dangerous element is here because of that… Come, we should be going." After Steven finished his sentence, I promptly followed him. Yes, I still had that odd sensation of wanting him near…

There was some sort of entrance made out off of trees. It was clear that something was hiding behind, something like a forest.

"It looks like we are about to discover what is happening. Let's enter together." Steven proposed. I accepted quite eagerly.

When we were about to enter I suddenly heard a voice inside my head.

"Those whose memories fade seek to carve them in their hearts."

I didn't know what the sentence had to do with the mystery surrounding the island or where did that voice come from, but I kept walking. What I saw next amazed me almost as much as Latios did…

…and it was a pokémon very similar to Latios... It was Latias. She looked sad; maybe this pokémon was causing that uneasy feeling in the island. It was clear that the poor pokémon needed help!

Steven and I approached the also legendary pokémon. Latios and Latias are brother and sister, they always appear together in the stories that I've been hearing since I was a little girl.

"Latias… It's beautiful." Steven started to speak.

"She sure is!" I really think Latias is an adorable pokémon.

"If I were to describe such beauty in terms of a stone, it would be a sun stone. No… it goes beyond that… isn't her brilliance like that of a dawn stone?" I smiled. Steven is always talking about stones!

I was staring amazed at the grace of the pokémon before me… although I must say that I couldn't help but take a quick gaze at Steven every now and then. Back to the subject, I really wanted to know what caused her despair, but that's something I discovered very soon.

"Huhn?! What's this?! You?!" A male voice boomed all over the forest.

Steven and I turned around and we saw two members of Team Aqua. One of them was a female grunt and the other, a very tall and muscular man with the logo of Team Aqua tattooed on his chest.

"Oh ho! I have no time to worry about that!" The tanned man continued. "The name is Matt! That's Team Aqua Administrator Matt to you! What I want from you is that Latias behind you there." Perfect, another bad guy…

"Hm? Team Aqua, is it? So Latias noticed their coming, and that's why it called on us." Steven already heard of Team Aqua, but he never encountered them face to face.

"But that mega stone…" Matt continued "We of Team Aqua are definitely gonna need the transcendent power of mega evolution to achieve our ambitions. How 'bout it? If you get out of our way, we won't rough you up!"

"NEVER!" I screamed "I won't allow a bunch of criminals like you to approach this pokémon!"

"That's right. Full points for the correct answer!" Steven cheered. And that made me feel a bit dizzy…

"Oh ho! If you're really that stupid, then I have no choice but to squash you!" Go…!"

"Wait!" Steven interrupted Matt "I'll take part in this battle as well." Then he looked at me "Let's protect Latias from these beasts together. We cannot allow Latias or even a mega stone to fall into the hands of such villains!"

"Fine, let's do this together, but let me take care of Matt!" I said with my hand on Trevor's pokéball.

"All right! Go, Metang!" Steven sent out to the battle a very powerful looking pokémon. This battle would be ours, for sure!

I proceeded to release my pokémon as well, so did Matt and the soldier. Matt had a Sharpedo and his partner, a Grimer.

"Metang, use bullet punch!" Steven commanded to his pokémon. Metang's right arm glowed red and it span on his side, hitting Grimer repeatedly.

"Trevor, use leaf blade!" My starter pokémon moved quickly towards his rival and attacked him with the sharp leaves on his wrists. The type matchups were of a great help on this battle.

"Sharpedo, use scary face!" The attack is exactly what it says on the tin, Sharpedo made an ugly, scary face, which intimidated Trevor for a while. But that didn't prevent him to keep fighting.

I ordered Trevor to use leaf blade once again and almost at the same time, Matt told his Sharpedo to go and use ice fang. The two pokémon attacked at the same time, and they were equally hurt from the clash. I took a quick glance at Steven and I saw how he told his Metang to use zen headbutt against Grimer. The way he told his pokémon to fight was pretty admirable to say the least!

"Trevor, use megadrain!" He raised his hands and a beam of light went from Sharpedo to him, helping Trevor to recover part of the energy he lost from the ice fang.

"Sharpedo, use ice fang again!"

"No Trevor, dodge it and use fury cutter, full power!" Trevor quickly moved aside from Sharpedo's direction and slashed him with the leaves on his wrists, which were glowing red.

"Oh ho, this can't be! Sharpedo, use slash now!" Sharpedo's head denticles glowed white and he slashed at Trevor with them. But either way, this battle was about to end. I quickly looked at Steven to see how was he doing and Grimer was very close to fainting, just like Sharpedo.

"Okay Trevor, use megadrain!" And as I predicted, that was enough to defeat our enemy! Shortly after that, Steven also defeated his opponent.

"Oh ho! Strong, ain'tcha? You're an interesting punk, too. I'll give you that!" Then he quickly turned around to face Steven. "I love interesting, strong dudes! That's why I love my bro, Archie! And that's why I'm gonna start loving you from now one, too!" Then Matt addressed both of us "Next time I see you, I'll smash you up real good, ok? Let's get outta here, you dull grunt!" After scolding his partner, they left, much for our relief.

"Hah… Good work, Emily." Steven congratulated me.

"Thank you… you did a really good job too." I said as my cheeks began to burn all of sudden "But I think our pokémon need…"

"Ah, that's right. We should first heal up the pokémon that fought on our behalf, shouldn't be?"

I offered to heal his Metang as he healed my Trevor. The robotic pokémon stared at me with curiosity while I healed it, since it never saw me. As for Trevor, he didn't seem to have a problem with being healed by another person he didn't know either. After we finished, Steven kept talking to me.

"You performed spectacularly. We were able to protect both this wondrous pokémon and her mega stone, thanks to you."

"Oh! I… I…" I didn't know what to say. His compliments made me feel unexplainably happy and plus, I just saved a legendary pokémon! Then I felt something poking my back. It was Latias!

"And it looks as though Latias may have also recognized you as a trainer worthy of her trust." And as if she wanted to reaffirm Steven's words, Latias began to nuzzle my left cheek, which made me giggle "Look, it's trying to offer you her allegiance. I believe she's trying to show that she wants to go with you on your journey. Go on. Hold your hand to it." Obeying Steven's words, I reached my hand to hers, closing the pact.

Then I proceeded to throw a regular pokéball at her, since I knew she wouldn't struggle. And indeed, she left herself get caught! I just couldn't believe it… I needed time to process what happened… A legendary pokémon wanted to come with me… ME! AND I JUST CAUGHT IT!

"You should take this from me…" Steven made me snap out of my thoughts by giving me a bracelet, with put me in an even greater WTF state until he explained me what it was "With the mega bracelet that I just gave you and the mega stone that a pokémon may hold, your pokémon will be able to achieve mega evolution."

"And Latias is holding a mega stone, which means…"

"…that you can give mega evolution a try whenever you want." Steven said completing my sentence. "If that settles that… Should we be heading back? Together with Latios, waiting so patiently for us there…"

"Of course!" I exclaimed eagerly. That meant I had to ride Latios again. And riding Latios again meant that I had to hold Steven tight again… and I liked the idea.

The trip felt extremely short. As I held Steven, I tightened my embrace a little bit every now and then. I still had that intense sensation running inside me… It was annoyingly pleasing and I didn't want it to end. What I didn't know was that said sensation wouldn't leave me!

Once Latios landed back at Route 118 and we got off of him, Steven addressed to me "Thank you for your help, Emily."

"No problem, Steven. I would do anything for a pokémon in trouble… and for you." The last part I said it lowering my voice.

"Tioooos!" Latios exclaimed cheerfully while looking at me.

"Perhaps it's trying to tell you to take good care of Latias."

"I sure will!" I smiled at the legendary pokémon. After that, he took flight and left us behind.

"In the end, you were a far greater help than I expected you might be. I expect that you and your team will be able to best both Route 119 ahead and even the Fortree Gym beyond that."

"Actually…" I told to Steven "…I have planned to go and visit my parents for a day, since my home it's not too far away."

"That's good! I'm pretty sure they will be very happy to see you. I'll be curious to see how much stronger you might grow by the next time we meet. Until then, Emily!"

"See you!" I said waving goodbye like a fool.

I spent the night in Petalburg City; I would go to Oldale Town the next morning. And that night, sleeping was very hard. I could stop thinking about Steven… No, I couldn't! Instead of thinking of how awesome it was the fact that now I had a legendary pokémon in my team, I was thinking about that young man I already considered my friend… and I felt so good while doing so! I couldn't stop asking myself if he was fine, what was he possibly doing now, how long it would take to see him again… Then suddenly a realization hit me like a train: a realization that made me get up from my bed, exit the hostel on my pajamas and run around Petalburg City yelling:

"I'M IN LOVE!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Home sweet home**

I woke up with my eyes still bleary and I went straight to the cafeteria of the hostel. Before going to see my parents, I wanted to have something for breakfast. I sat at the bar and I asked for a cup of milk with cocoa.

Ugh, that night I could barely sleep… I felt like if thousands of Beautifly were fluttering inside me! "Ay Steven, why do you do this to me?" I said to myself.

Soon, the cup of milk was ready. I gave the money to the waitress and I began to sip the liquid. My thoughts oscillated between Steven, Latias and my parents. How would they react when I tell them "Hey, mom and dad, now I travel across Hoenn with a legendary pokémon, woooo!" And even more important… what would they say if I tell them that I like someone? In high school, I had a couple of crushes and when I told them, they reacted like if I said "I'm going to get married!".

But let me tell you: this is not (yes, it still lasts to this day) a regular crush. The sensations with Steven are, I don't know how to say it, more intense and there's a difference: with these guys from high school, I barely talked to them! But with Steven, we've known each other for a while and we already considered each other to be friends… but of course I didn't want to tell him anything. I still was trying to process what I felt, but I was sure that it was love. Ain't I weird?

I was peacefully drinking my cup of milk with cocoa when a song started to play in the radio. First I hummed along the tune but then I started to sing along almost unknowingly. And I must tell you… I'm very, very bad at singing!

"And the thing that gets to me is you'll never really see…" I sang happily, following my emotions.

"Please, shut up!" A guy sitting at my side complained.

"…and the thing that freaks me out is I'll always be in doubt." I continued, oblivious to what the people said.

"Come on…!" A young girl sighed, very upset.

"It is a lovely thing that we have, it is a lovely thing that we! It is a lovely thing, the pokémon, the pokémon instinct!"

"Hush, we are trying to have our breakfast!" A woman raised her voice, notably annoyed.

"And we want to listen to the radio!" Another man said.

I had no choice but stop singing. In fact I kept singing, but mentally instead of aloud. Anyway, I wouldn't let anyone ruin my day, I felt in an extraordinary good mood, even better than usual!

I soon finished my breakfast and I left towards Oldale Town, where my home is. It wasn't a hiatus; I was just going to spend the day with my parents. The mere idea of visiting them made me immensely happy! And plus, they had no idea that I was coming home; it would be a great surprise!

I unfolded my bicycle and I began to pedal through all the routes that separated me from Oldale Town, I preferred to take the long path. While doing so, I wondered if I'd be able to fly with my pokémon, which would make the trips considerably shorter and would be a great experience. But it's not like riding a bicycle isn't a great thing! As a gentle breeze caressed my face and my hair, I observed the berry trees, full of fruits. I stopped to collect a few berries, which I would offer to my pokémon later. Ah, I was having a great day!

And finally, I reached Route 102, the place where everything started! There, I had my first pokémon battle, which was against Josh. I wondered how it was going for him… After he told me the reasons for his arrogant behavior, I somewhat pitied him, but not in a negative way. I think that everyone should be free to do what they really want to do, not what they are told to do.

After a few minutes, I reached Oldale Town. Obviously, finding my house was very easy. One never forgets their home! After leaving the bike on its bag, I knocked the door. After several seconds, some steps were heard. I would recognize that way of walking anywhere: it was my dad! When he opened the door, his face said everything.

"Emily! I can't believe it, I'm so glad to see you again!" He hugged me warmly.

"I'm very happy to see you too, dad!" I said as I returned the hug.

"Claire, look who's back, the prodigal daughter!" My dad announced addressing towards my mom, who promptly appeared from the kitchen.

"Ah, I can't believe what I see! The future Hoenn champion came to visit her old parents!" My mom chirped while she hugged me as happily as my dad did before.

"Aww mom, I doubt I can be the Hoenn champion, but I'm trying my best…" I stated as I returned the embrace.

They invited me to come in and go to the kitchen. They were preparing breakfast just now. Despite telling them that I had breakfast not long before, they insisted in cooking it for me too. My mom was preparing toasts while my dad squeezed some oranges to make juice out of them. Ah, the classical breakfast of Davies's household, I missed it so much!

"Well Emily, you already have five badges. Aren't you excited?" My dad asked while throwing to the trash an orange that already produce all the juice it had inside.

"Yes, I am! I'm very proud of myself and of my pokémon, of course. I know much more than I did before going on my journey, although I knew a bit more than the people who embarks in this kind of journey at, let's say, ten years old."

"That's the positive side of going on a pokémon journey at twenty years old, am I right?" Dad questioned cheerfully.

"Totally!" I answered while looking around.

"When we are done eating, you should show us your pokémon. We want to see them face to face!" My mother said while turning on the radio. In my house, we always cook and eat with music in the background. That's something I missed too.

"Of course!" I responded a bit nervous. I still tried to find the way to explain that a legendary pokémon wanted to follow me…

…and I couldn't find either the way to tell them that I was feeling something for someone. Due to their reactions in the past, I felt a bit shy, but that's something parents need to know. Also, and there was the point that we aren't talking about anyone but the son of the boss of a great corporation. But anyway, my parents know I'm not the gold-digger type!

Soon the breakfast was ready. My mom served me first and then they sat at the table with their respective toasts. They also set a jar of strawberry jam in the middle of the table. I quickly assaulted the container with a knife; I always loved toasts with strawberry jam!

"So tell me, how have you been doing without me?" I asked after swallowing a chunk of toast.

"Well, we can't say we did well because we would sound like terrible parents." My mom said "As it's obvious, we missed you, but we continued with our normal life."

"That's how it must be." I responded.

"Boasting about our pokémon trainer daughter is now part of our normal life!" My dad laughed.

"And what do people say?" I asked, smiling with curiosity.

"They say that they always knew you had the potential. They saw how much you wanted to become a trainer since you were a kid, and it was clear that you would go far if you wanted to. And that's exactly what happened!" My father said between a couple of sips of juice.

"When a person really wants to do something, they put all their effort into it. That and their innate skills make them succeed. And you are doing so well, we knew you would make a great trainer!" My mother chattered happily while spreading jam in a toast.

"Hahaha, you will make me blush!" I exclaimed. Parents always see their children as the very best!

After a couple of minutes my mom interrogated:

"Have you come across Team Aqua again?"

Well, it looks like the moment arrived!

"Yes, but it was not big deal. I had someone helping me." I responded staring nervously at the glass of juice.

"And who's that someone?" My dad made the unavoidable question.

"Well, remember what I said that I had deals with the president of Devon Corporation?" They nodded "Well, that someone is his son, Steven. He's around my age and we've become friends."

"Ah, Steven Stone? I heard he is a very strong trainer too!" My mom said excitedly.

"Yes, he is!" I said a bit too enthused.

"Who knows, maybe you will end up fighting him someday…" My dad observed calmly.

"Maybe… maybe…" I muttered.

I was making myself too clear, if you know what I mean. What you'll see next, I had it coming!

"Hey Emily, I couldn't help but notice the way your eyes glitter when you talk about your friend…" My mom observed. Oh darn…

"Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Argh, I was surrounded! I had no other option but telling them… I took a deep breath and I looked into their eyes.

"Yes… Mom, dad… I think, no, I KNOW I'm in love with Steven." I went straight to the point!

They needed a couple of seconds to understand what they heard. They opened their eyes wide and their jaws dropped and suddenly, the bursted into a happy laughter.

"And when did you realize that?" My mom kept laughing. No, it wasn't a "we are making fun of you" laugh. It was a "we are happy for you" laugh.

"Last night, while I tried to sleep… I couldn't stop thinking about him." I confessed while I smiled like a fool.

"Aww, our daughter is in love! Yeah, love strikes you at the most unexpected moment and in the most unexpected ways." My dad cackled.

"And now that we are on it… follow me to the garden, please." I said while I got up from my chair. Soon, my parents did the same.

The fresh spring air blew through the berry trees in the garden. I reached for Latias's pokéball as I prepared myself to give out the second surprise of the day.

"That fight against Team Aqua, in which Steven helped me, took place yesterday… and this was the reason of that fight!" I said as I threw Latias's ball against the floor.

The legendary pokémon emerged from the spherical device letting out a happy cry. I slowly looked aside to check my parent's reaction. They were staring blankly at the dragon pokémon. It was clear that they didn't know how to react. After a couple of minutes my dad broke the silence.

"And you… she… but how?"

"She simply wanted to follow me! I couldn't leave her there… Team Aqua was going after her." I explained to my parents.

"Those thugs…" My mom muttered "But wow, I can't believe you have a legendary pokémon!"

"Me neither! I still can't believe it." I smiled nervously.

"Well, you are sure having an interesting journey!" My dad said while taking a closer look to Latias, who didn't mind it. Eventually, my mom also wanted to see the legendary a bit better.

"It's just like in the stories, she's so gentle!" My mother cooed while patting Latias's head.

"And cute!" My dad added.

"Yes, she is!" I agreed. "And while we are at it, let me show you my other pokémon!"

I threw all the pokéballs at the same time. My parents were amazed upon seeing me and my whole team together.

"Woo, look at the little Trevor!" My mom said while hugging the grass type.

"It's evident that you are taking good care of them. Being a good trainer is not only about winning battles, is also about the way you raise your pokémon. Am I right?" My dad stated.

"I concur!" I responded while I allowed Hershey to perch in my left arm.

After playing with my pokémon for a while my mom remembered we didn't finish our breakfast. We returned inside while I allowed my pokémon, Latias included, to play in the garden.

The rest of the day was great; I accompanied my parents to buy groceries. Several neighbors whom I knew since I was very young asked me for my journey and I proudly shown them my five badges. It was great being back at Oldale Town, even if it just was for a day. There are so many things I missed… but travelling was amazing, too!

Something funny happened in the evening: we were watching a movie and a romantic scene came up. We were observing it in complete silence when all of sudden my dad cackled:

"Look Emily that could be you and Steven!"

"Dad!" I babbled with my mouth wide open.

"Greg, you will make the kid blush!" My mom laughed before hitting my dad's arm in a friendly manner.

Then we had our dinner together. I helped them to prepare the meal, which was spaghetti with grated cheese. Again, the music on the radio accompanied us while we prepared our dinner. I also prepared some food for my pokémon, who dinned in the garden. I really enjoyed spending the day with my family. I wouldn't exchange my parents for anything in the world!

After eating our dinner, we watched the TV together for an hour or so and then I returned my crew to their pokéballs and I said goodbye to my parents. On the one hand, it sucked to leave but in the other, I really wanted to continue my journey. The best was still to come!

"Well Emily, I hope you call us often as you have been doing until now." My dad said after hugging me.

"Don't worry, of course I will! I'm so happy that I decided to come to visit you!"

"So we are hun! Good luck with the rest of your adventure… and good luck with Steven!" Mom always has to say something; my parents are two of a kind!

"Mom! Well, I'll try my best… in both subjects." I giggled before giving her a hug.

We waved goodbye and once I entered Route 102, I unfolded my bicycle and I began to pedal with enthusiasm. The next stop was Fortree City!


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Distressed**

I took my time to reach Route 119. I spent four days going across all the places I already visited, training my pokémon for the next gym battle. Only that this time I had to train them "in secret", when no one could see me because, what would they say if they saw someone with a legendary pokémon in their power? I even lost a battle against a trainer because I didn't want to send Latias out. I told her that I had no pokémon left. I would only use Latias in "serious" battles.

But still, training Latias was a lot of fun. She is a very gentle and obedient pokémon. It's not like my other pokémon aren't like that but, when I heard of legendary pokémon, I always thought about powerful beasts that can't control their powers! Although I know many of Hoenn's disasters happened because of that…

That day was cloudy. As you might know by now, I dislike cloudy days, but I had to deal with it… I still had in my bag the umbrella Steven gave me back at Slateport City. Ah, Steven… I still couldn't stop thinking about him. I went to sleep and I woke up with him on my mind. Why is love so pleasingly exhausting?!

But going back to my journey, Route 119 is a really hard place to walk through; the grass is taller than in any other place in Hoenn and we also have the climate: if it's not raining heavily, it is cloudy but really hot. And the fact that there are lots of wild pokémon doesn't help either. But that day, there was someone way more annoying that any wild pokémon…

It was starting to rain. I quickly pulled the umbrella out of my bag and I opened it. I didn't know where I should go, until I spotted a building in the middle of the route, next to a bridge. The building was the Hoenn Weather Institute. I figured out that the bridge would finally take me to Fortree City, so I began to walk towards the structure when I saw a few people wearing an all too familiar uniform… Team Aqua grunts.

I remembered how Archie said that his next goal was going to be Mount Pyre. Wasn't that near there? Unfortunately, there was no other way I could access the bridge without facing the grunts and anyway, they were already aware of my presence. I had no other choice.

"Hey you, stay away from the weather institute! It's not safe." One of the grunts warned.

"I know it's not safe, but I don't really care." I said at the same time I closed my umbrella and I stepped into the building. They were about to say something, but I cut them off!

I entered the Weather Institute knowing that I would possibly find something big, and I wasn't wrong. The place was full of Team Aqua soldiers, some of which were threatening the workers of the institution using words I don't dare to reproduce.

"Hey!" I tried to catch the attention of the grunts.

"Who are you? Do you dare to disturb me?" He responded aggressively.

"Why yes, don't you want to fight a bit?"

"Better said, do you want to be squashed like a bug by me?"

I almost didn't think about it; I grabbed a random pokéball, which turned out to be Latias's. The face of the grunt was priceless: his expression changed from smug and confident to shocked and afraid. And his levels of shock would rise after what I was about to do!

"I think it works like this…" I touched the key stone in my bracelet. I was nervous because I still didn't try out mega evolution! It was my first time doing this…

After that, a strong energy began to encircle me. I can't even begin to describe how I felt!

"Latias… MEGA EVOLVE!" In that moment, another current of energy began to surround Latias as well. I could see the grunt's face; his jaw was dropping and his eyes were wide open.

The process didn't last much, but it was incredible! For a moment, a white light engulfed the eon pokémon and when that light disappeared… Latias was totally different. I still could tell it was her but… her colors changed: she went from white and red to white and purple. And not only that, but her body shape was also different. Now she reminded me of an airplane! And at that moment, I thought of a nickname for her… Alyx. I think Latias perceived it, because she looked at me in a friendly way. So I began to call her by that name.

"All right, Alyx. Use mist ball!" And she created a ball of mist over her opponent, a Mightyena. With the heat of the moment, I didn't thought about it, but I ordered her to use an attack that wasn't super effective. But anyway, it did a surprising amount of damage. It is true, that legendary pokémon are more powerful!

But despite that, the battle ended very soon. Mightyena used bite on Latias twice, which obviously damaged her due to the type disadvantage, but she still managed to get through it. Thanks Arceus I had some hyperpotions!

I quickly moved on to the next grunt. It wasn't a big deal either. This time, Trevor did most of the job. Although I have to admit that the soldiers were getting stronger and it was more difficult to defeat them. But fortunately, they weren't the only ones who were getting more powerful.

I went upstairs, where a lot of fuss could be heard. I felt scared, what if I found someone getting injured by Team Aqua? What if I was unable to prevent that from happening? But instead of being so afraid, I decided to trust myself and my pokémon. I knew we could accomplish anything.

When I finally reached the top of the stairs, I could see Shelly speaking to three men who were trying their best to keep their distance from her. Shelly sure is an intimidating woman!

"Could it be…? Is this the world… Archie hoped to create?" She muttered quietly.

"Curse you! The precious results of my research! GIVE THEM BACK!" The scientist's face was red. He was trying to not snap violently, he was trying to contain his emotions, until…

"Shut your mouth!" In two steps, Shelly approached the man and slapped him across the face. I'm sure that the sound of Shelly's hand impacting against the scientist's face could be heard in the entire building. My eyes opened wide in shock.

"Augh?!" The man couldn't believe what just happened. He took his hand to one of his cheeks.

"Steady on! Are you alright?" An older man asked.

But the scientist had no time to answer. Shelly sighed and began to speak again.

"Fine, I'll give it back. I'll give it back, all right?" She sounded very annoyed. But pay attention to this, this left me really impacted. "The awakening of the super-ancient pokémon will bring about extreme weather. If this happened all over the world, what would become of pokémon, not to mention people?"

The awakening of the super-ancient pokémon... Was she talking about Kyogre? I didn't like the sound of it… That was getting more and more dangerous and there I was, fighting Team Aqua grunts and trying to spoil their plans. And I would possibly have to fight Shelly again. I didn't like her at all, but if she spotted me, I wouldn't have any other choice.

I fought against some more grunts. I sent out Alyx against a couple of them and I mega evolved her as well. Their reactions were priceless. But then, the unavoidable happened. I decided to walk towards Shelly and she recognized my presence almost instantly.

"Oh my! I even run into you when I'm not in the clock! I wonder why that is… Maybe we're destined to be together… Ahaha!" She said in a sassy tone.

"Or maybe I'm destined to ruin your crazy plans." I didn't know where I got that courage from but yes, I dared to speak to Shelly like that.

"No, you won't! Ugh… Wanna know something?" Her tone suddenly changed.

"Shoot it." I think I'm a good listener, even with villains!

"I'm feeling so empty and downhearted right now. I can't get my head straight." She blinked a couple of times. "Umm? Help me take my mind out off it."

"With a battle?"

"Yes! The way you and your pokémon battle so straightforwardly and sincerely with such hope, it makes me so mad!" Understanding Shelly is a difficult thing…

We both sent out our respective pokémon. I sent out my trusty Trevor while she released her Sharpedo. This would be easy, or so I thought…

"Trevor, use leaf blade!"

"Sharpedo, use ice fang, quick!"

The two pokémon attacked each other at the same time. I watched horrified how Sharpedo's attack left Trevor considerably weakened, and the battle had just begun! Next, I commanded him to use megadrain, which would help him to recover some energy. I wanted to save the hyperpotions for later, if it was possible.

Next, Shelly ordered her pokémon to use scary face. Sharpedo made an indescribable hideous face. Then it was Trevor's turn. Under my order, he used fury cutter. The slashes were so powerful that the attack sent Sharpedo to the ground.

"You'll pay this! Sharpedo, use ice fang!" Shelly roared furiously. Sharpedo quickly launched at Trevor.

"Trevor, move out of the way and use leaf blade!" Sharpedo's attack missed by a millimeter, but my pokémon could still execute the attack successfully.

"Ugh…! Sharpedo, use slash!" The fierce looking pokémon used his denticles to cut Trevor.

"Do you know what's the problem, Shelly? You fight to impose your idea in the others. Maybe your team wants to soak the whole world in water, but did you stop to think what EVERYONE ELSE wants?" I asked all of sudden. My words caught her by surprise.

"How… how do you dare to talk to me like that?! Sharpedo, use ice fang!" Now she was more furious than ever.

"Trevor, dodge it and use fury cutter." I said calmly. Sharpedo was already much damaged, but her trainer didn't want to give up so easily.

"Sharpedo, you can't do this to me! Use scary face and then ice fang!"

Sharpedo jumped on Trevor making a terrible face and then dug her teeth on my pokémon. I watched how the icy smoke was coming out of Sharpedo's mouth. It looked as if there wasn't much more to do as for Trevor. He looked very close to fainting. I knew this was the time to use a hyperpotion. I wanted to win this battle with him!

I kneeled next to Trevor, ready to spray the hyperpotion on him. But something incredible happened. He slowly got back on his feet, with evident signs of pain.

"What are you going to do, Trevor?" I asked him with a concerned tone.

Trevor stood still for a moment and suddenly, he began to scream. A blood curdling scream.

"Trevor!" I exclaimed very concerned. I was about to take Trevor in my arms to take him to the nearest pokémon center. But something kept me from doing so; something told me that everything would be okay.

And indeed, something good happened. A white light began to surround Trevor. Good Arceus, he was about to evolve!

"This. Can't. BE!" Shelly yelled. She knew that if Trevor evolved, the battle would be even easier for us.

The process lasted several seconds that felt like hours. When the light disappeared, the change made me open my mouth agape. Now Trevor was as tall as me, his neck was notably longer and the long leaf on his head disappeared. Instead, now he had two crests. He also had on his back what looked like seeds, and his tail was shaped like a palm tree branch.

i"Sceptile has seeds growing on its back. They are said to be bursting with nutrients that revitalize trees. This pokémon raises the trees in a forest with loving care."/i

"This is unbelievable! Oh my Arceus!" I exclaimed proudly while I hugged Trevor. He smiled and gave me a confident luck. I was going to use a hyperpotion on him, but I had no time.

He turned back to Sharpedo as the leaves on his wrists, which now were longer and sharper, began to glow green. Matching energy beams extended from their tips. After that, the beams wrapped around Sharpedo's body, drained her energy, and then receded back into Trevor's wrist leaves.

And that, friends, was enough to defeat Sharpedo. At that moment it surprised me quite a bit, but now that I think about it, there's nothing weird about that. Sharpedo was already quite damaged before Trevor attacked her with the attack that I identified as giga drain. I carefully looked at Shelly: her face showed a surprisingly serene expression.

"Hmmph… I feel a bit more relaxed. Thanks." She said after letting out a sigh.

"Err… you're welcome?" I babbled.

"As a token of my gratitude, I'll tell you one thing." I nodded to let her know I was listening. "When Team Aqua's… No, when illustrious Archie's ambitions have been realized, the world will truly return to its beginnings, to before the birth of anything at all…"

"And…?"

"Think for yourself about what to do when you're up against that reality. I still haven't figured out for myself what's wrong and what's right… See ya. I'm sure I'll run into you again, though." She quickly walked away from me, but she stopped again shortly after. "Archie is probably on the way to Mount Pyre… So I…" Then she finally disappeared down the stairs.

I never saw Shelly so calm. Maybe she wasn't that terrible of a person, after all. But one of the workers made me snap out of my thoughts.

"Thank you, young one. You helped save us from quite a pinch!"

"There's no problem at all! But I'm afraid we destroyed part of the furniture…" Several chunks of wall where missing and the rug was all ragged.

Meanwhile, a younger man asked the scientist if he was all right.

"Hah… hah... That truly was a slap in the face…" The scientist expressed.

"Those thieves... What could they hope to gain by investigating the extreme weather patterns of thousands of years ago?" I didn't know if I should tell him the story, I was about to say something, but he interrupted me "Oh, but I'm forgetting myself! First, I must thank you properly for your help. It might seem an odd way of rewarding you, but please take this as my thanks."

The old man gave me a nugget! A nugget! I could sell that in the Pokémarket and I would probably get tons of money. That would be very useful for my journey.

"And now let me tell you something. As for the data these ruffians were seeking… They wanted to know about the extreme weather conditions that ruled thousands of years ago because of two super-ancient pokémon." It turns out that he knew something, after all. "One of that pair was the legendary pokémon we know as mighty Kyogre… By absorbing the energy that abounds in the natural world, Kyogre transformed itself-or so it is said."

"And what happened after that?" I asked.

"The transformed Kyogre caused so many disturbances to the weather patterns that the world was assaulted by torrential rains, and the seas rose around the planet."

That explained absolutely EVERYTHING! They wanted Kyogre's power to accomplish their goals!

"We refer to this transformation as primal reversion…"

"…the transformation even more powerful than mega evolution." I remembered the day I met Steven.

"Exactly. Its result is the terror we call Primal Kyogre."

"It sounds like something really nasty…" I expressed very concerned.

"Yes, it can be. Primal reversion is a possible form of evolution, like and yet not like mega evolution… Or so it has been theorized. But it has never been achieved by any pokémon other than the super-ancient legendary pokémon, and so it has been largely forgotten as a method of evolution."

What the man said left me feeling very afraid. I said goodbye and I quickly ran downstairs. Then I exited the institute and when I made sure no one could hear me, I screamed at the top of my lungs to release the stress I've been accumulating through the whole speech. What if it there wasn't anything else I could do? Could all be lost? Now I had another thing in my mind, and this one was very displeasing. The rain seemed to have stopped not long ago. Good, because I wasn't in the mood for rain. However, the sky was still cloudy. As cloudy as my mind was at that moment.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: A friendly battle**

I spent yet another day in Route 119. All the things I was told the day before left me totally perturbed. What Team Aqua wanted to do would have brought the world to its end! And there I was, in the middle of their way, I was their biggest threat. And I was just a normal girl on a journey to collect all the gym badges and maybe become Hoenn's new champion. But now I had no other choice to try my best and stop them.

I remember that I spent most of the night with my eyes wide open, with the words of the man in the Hoenn Weather Institute playing time after time inside my head. Not even thinking about my family or Steven could ease my anxiety. What's more, it only made it worse: what if Team Aqua accomplished their plans and something happened to them? If that would have happened, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself.

I almost could see the sun rising; shortly before dawn, I finally fell asleep. Surprisingly, I had no nightmares. That's the last thing I needed.

I didn't sleep for a long time; I think I actually spent just a couple of hours in the land of dreams… That day I wanted to go and challenge Winona, specialist in flying types and third from last gym leader. The day of challenging the Elite Four wasn't too far away…

It was a sunny day, something rare for the zone were Route 119 is located, but definitely something very nice. The weather helped me to enhance my mood. But enough ramble, let's talk about the important things. The thing is that my next gym battle had to wait a bit more…

After my team and I were done having breakfast, I returned them to their respective pokéballs and I packed my stuff. I walked towards the bridge unhurriedly, observing the landscape. Despite its climate and the annoyingly tall grass, Route 119 is a beautiful place! I thought I was alone until I recognized a familiar figure beyond the bridge. It didn't take very long for that figure to recognize me.

"Hey Emily! How are you doing?" It was Josh, my official rival!

"Hello Josh! I'm doing fine. What about you?" I greeted as I approached him.

"I'm doing perfect! I am training my pokémon for the next gym battle. And yesterday, I went to a contest were my little sister was performing." Wow, this was a completely different Josh! I was glad to see him so relaxed.

"Aha… And did Lisia perform as well?" I teased him. Yep, I still remembered his crush on Lisia!

"Uh… No, unfortunately not." He blushed for a few seconds, but regained his composure very soon. "Well Emily, would you like to see how much my pokémon improved?"

"Of course! But I warn you: you aren't the only one who has been training hard and plus, I have a couple of surprises in store!" I said as I winked in a friendly manner. "Go Trevor!"

"I see your starter also evolved… Go, Finnegan!" Josh's also released his starter, who reached his final stage too. Now he was a Swampert.

"This shouldn't be very hard for us." I whispered to Trevor. "Trevor, go and use leaf blade!"

"Finnegan, use protect!" Finnegan's body became outlined in blue and Trevor's attack had no effect.

"Well played, Josh!" I congratulated him. "Now use fury cutter, Trevor!" This time, the attack succeeded. Trevor launched at Finnegan and slashed him repeatedly with the sharp leaves on his wrists, which were glowing red while the attack lasted.

"You did well too, Emily!" Josh cheered. "But I also have a surprise for you. Finnegan, use ice punch!" Oh dear!

"Trevor, avoid it and use leaf blade!" But he couldn't avoid the attack and Finnegan's fist, which was surrounded in an icy glow, impacted on him violently. The brutality of the hit sent him to the ground.

I looked at Trevor for a couple of seconds. I didn't expect that… But I wouldn't allow that to be a problem!

"Trevor, use giga drain!" He slowly stood up and then performed the attack, regaining a great quantity of energy. The attack left Swampert very weakened.

"This is not a problem for me!" Josh proceeded to spray a hyperpotion on his pokémon. Oh darn! But that wasn't a problem for me either. Then Josh commanded his pokémon to use the next attack. "Finnegan, use rock slide!" After that, Finnegan slammed his hands into the ground, causing boulders to fall on Trevor.

"Trevor, now use leaf blade!" This time he was able to use his signature attack. Trevor attacked Finnegan using his sharp wrist leaves. They are so sharp that sometimes Trevor uses them to help me to peel fruits!

"Finnegan, use protect and then ice punch!" Finnegan's body became outlined in blue once again and after that, he punched Trevor again. This time the attack was less intense but it also damaged Trevor considerably.

"Trevor, use giga drain!" Trevor absorbed Finnegan's energy as the leaves on his wrists glowed green. And with that, be defeated Finnegan. Hooray for type matchups!

"I see you improved a lot!" Josh observed while withdrawing his fainted pokémon.

"You improved a lot too! But let's keep fighting, shall we?" I said while I cured Trevor with a hyperpotion.

"Of course! Go ahead, Opera!" Josh's Wailmer appeared. Another water type pokémon? Keeping Trevor in the battle field was definitely a good idea!

"Good… Trevor, now use fury cutter!" He launched at Opera with a great speed. Once Trevor reached his opponent, he began to slash him frenetically.

"Opera, use astonish!" Opera shouted in a very scary manner and a bunch of shadows surrounded Trevor. And I think that he flinched a bit. "Well done! Now use water pulse!" Opera opened his mouth and ball of energy was fired at Trevor… only that the ball of energy became a huge wave before hitting Trevor. The attack was really powerful and sent Trevor to the floor.

"Well, that was unexpected…" I pretended to be worried. "Trevor, use dual chop!" I said changing my attitude completely. Dual chop was Trevor's new attack. He brutally struck Opera twice, using his claws.

"Okay Opera… Now use brine!" Josh's pokémon pointed his nostrils at Trevor and then released a massive stream of water from them. To be honest, it did a good amount of damage on Trevor, despite being a water type attack. But the battle would end soon.

"Trevor, use giga drain. Now!" My starter retrieved a big quantity of energy. Opera was already much weakened.

"We will take our last stand! Opera use ice beam!" The pokémon opened his mouth and a light blue ball formed in front of it. Then a bunch of light blue beams originated from the ball and froze Trevor's legs.

"Oh snap! Never mind, Trevor. Use giga drain yet again and we will have finished!" I said very confidently.

"Opera, dodge the attack and use ice beam again!" Opera jumped very high and attacked Trevor again with ice beam. This time, the attack froze Trevor almost completely.

I had to use a hyperpotion and an ice heal. After that, I told Trevor to use fury cutter. His attack succeeded, so did Opera's brine.

"Okay Trevor, this is almost ours. Use giga drain, one last time!" And this time, he could drain his opponent's energy and defeat him. Josh did a pretty good job training his pokémon.

I withdrew Trevor. He did a great job, as always, but he had to rest. I was wondering which pokémon I should send out next. I was waiting for Josh to do the same first so I could evaluate the possibilities.

"Well Emily, did you catch any other pokémon since the last time we met? I did! It's your turn, Flora!"

A green bipedal pokémon appeared. My Pokédex informed me that it was a Cacturne. I just saw that pokémon once in my entire life. I was fifteen years old and I remember its appearance scared me a bit. But this time was different. Taking a closer look, Cacturne looks more awesome than scary!

"Amazing! There's my new pokémon. Go, Cloudia!"

"Didn't you say that you had a surprise in store for me?" Josh inquired.

"Yes, but I'm saving it for the end." His last pokémon would be Beowulf the Mightyena, and I was planning on using Alyx against him. I didn't care for the type disadvantage; I knew she could do it.

"Okay then. Flora, use feint attack!" I already knew how the move worked, but I also knew that every pokémon would perform it in a different way. In Flora's case, she sneaked up behind Cloudia while she wasn't looking and then kicked her. The kick almost sent Cloudia to the floor.

"Cloudia, use take down!" She flew at a high speed and then tackled Flora down with a lot of energy.

"I see your pokémon is small but effective!" Josh observed in a cheerful tone.

"Yes, she is! And you ain't seen anything yet. Cloudia, use peck!" She began to fly towards her opponent.

"You ain't seen anything yet either! Flora, use spiky shield!" She slammed her fists together, forming a round shield from her forearms. Then the shield produced a green force field covered with spikes. Obviously, Cloudia impacted against the spikes and harmed herself. It wasn't a great damage, tho.

"Cloudia, try to use peck again!" Once the force field protecting Flora disappeared, Cloudia flew towards her and pecked Flora several times in a row.

"Flora, use needle arm!" The dark green patches on her arms glowed white and grown into enormous needles. Then, she attacked my pokémon by wildly swinging her arms. It was scary seeing that Cloudia was being punctured by Flora's thorns! "Isn't it a great attack?" Josh asked proudly.

"It is, but so is my pokémon! Cloudia, use round!" The musical notes that Cloudia released from her beak made Flora upset. I took the chance to tell Cloudia to use another attack. "Use peck, now!" Just like before, she pecked her opponent powerfully. The attack damaged Flora quite a lot, but she wouldn't faint yet!

"Flora, use feint attack!"

"No Cloudia, dodge it!"

"Flora, don't allow the attack to miss!" At the end, Flora performed the attack successfully.

"Cloudia, use take down!" After she recovered from the attack, Cloudia tackled her opponent, sending her to the ground. "Now finish with round!"

"Flora, use needle arm again!" Flora got up from the floor and attacked Cloudia with her thorny arms. Obviously, Cloudia's attack did miss this time.

"Now it's our time! Cloudia, use peck!" And this time, the battle ended.

His next pokémon would be Beowulf the Mightyena. I was looking forward to see his reaction upon seeing my legendary pokémon! I didn't want to brag, I just wanted to see his reaction…

"Well, are you going to show me that surprise or not?" Josh said after congratulating his pokémon for her good job and returning her to the pokéball.

"Yes, but first release your pokémon."

And that's what he did. After that, I asked him "Are you ready?" and he nodded. Then, I grabbed Alyx's pokéball from my bag and I threw it, releasing the eon pokémon from the device. Josh's mouth opened wide.

"Are… are you kidding me?" He managed to say.

"No, I'm not. And wait until you see this!" I touched the key stone on my mega bracelet, triggering the mega evolution process. "Alyx… mega evolve!" Once again, Alyx changed her appearance.

"How… how did you do that?" Josh was stunned by what he just witnessed.

"It's called mega evolution. It's like evolution only that it just lasts during the battle. Maybe you will be able to mega evolve one of your pokémon in the future. And now, let's battle!" I said enthused.

"Okay… Beowulf, use bite!"

"Alyx, dodge it and use dragon pulse!" Alyx avoided the attack by flying at a supersonic speed. While she moved out of Beowulf's way, Alyx put her hands together and a turquoise ball of energy appeared between them. Then she fired the ball at her opponent, which made him fall because of the attack's power.

"That… that is awesome! But I will still do my best! Beowulf, use scary face and then bite!" This time, Alyx couldn't avoid the attack. The face her opponent made left Alyx paralyzed out of fear and the bite was really powerful, it really harmed her. I used a superpotion on her just in case. "See? My pokémon is not a legendary but he's still pretty strong!" Josh boasted.

"Yes, but you still didn't see everything! Alyx, use dragon breath!" Since I couldn't use psychic type attacks because they wouldn't do anything, I had to rely on her two dragon type attacks. This time, she exhaled a mighty green gust that Beowulf couldn't manage to avoid despite his trainer's order.

"Umm… Beowulf, assurance!" The black and silver pokémon slammed his head onto Alyx's body. The attack made her fall to the floor in an abrupt manner.

"Alyx, don't give up! It's time to use recover!" Alyx's whole body glowed yellow and all of the damage disappeared. Why didn't think about using that attack earlier?

"Wow, that's amazing! But… Beowulf, use bite!" The dark type bit Alyx's foot, but that wasn't enough to stop her. Plus, the battle was already ours, Beowulf was really weakened.

"Alyx, go and use dragon pulse at full power!" This time, the energy ball that formed between Alyx's hands was twice its normal size. When she fired the attack, I swear the place shook for a split second! And finally, we defeated Josh again! But he also did a really good job against us.

Josh returned his last pokémon to his respective pokéball while I did the same, after congratulating Alyx. "Ha, that was a really good battle!" Josh said while approaching to me.

"I agree! Your pokémon are very strong, you are doing a spectacular job with them." I smiled.

"Thank you! But tell me, how did you freaking get Latias?!" He still couldn't get over his astonishment.

"It's a long story; let's say Team Aqua was involved."

"I see… Did they want to use her for their crazy plans?" I nodded. "Okie… and did you see them more times?" Josh asked with concern on his expression.

"Yes… yesterday I fought against Shelly… They want to awaken Kyogre to accomplish their goals!" I said after taking a deep breath. Josh looked terrified.

"No… not Kyogre! They will destroy the whole planet!" He babbled.

"Yes… But let me say, Kyogre is not an evil pokémon, because there aren't evil pokémon… It's only that its power is too intense and if it doesn't control itself… who knows what will happen." Talking about the subject made me feel uneasy again.

"I know, but if Team Aqua awakens Kyogre, there will be massive floods… That's what those nutcases want. You have to try and stop them, okay?" What? Even Josh trusted me to stop Team Aqua!

"I don't know if I will be able to do such a thing but I will totally do my best…" I changed the subject. "Well, I will take a little strut around there and I will go to the gym. What about you?"

"I'm going right now! I hope it goes well for you against Winona."

"Same to you!" I said a bit more relaxed.

When Josh left, I took a deep breath and I stretched a bit. That day was going to be really intense as well…


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: About to take off**

I blinked a few times before resuming my walk to Fortree City. As I told Josh, I walked around Route 119 for a while. I was just thinking about everything but then again thinking about nothing. I was about to take on another gym leader and I knew that I might have to face Team Aqua again very soon. And then there was him, Steven… the one who had been occupying my mind during the last week.

We didn't text each other that much during those days, he kept telling me that he was busy and that bugged me a bit… if you know what I mean. But who I am to think about if he has a girlfriend or not? Of course he would have one, just looks at him! I'm sure we will never be more than friends. He deserves better… Eh, I've already rambled enough.

When I decided that I walked enough, I crossed the bridge and soon, I was in Fortree City. It is a breathtaking place! It's almost like a forest; all the houses are built on the top of trees. That sure is a good place to live. And plus, I can say for sure that Fortree City has the cleanest air of the entire region. I also remembered the Pokémon Ranger School in there. I wanted to go and pay a visit, but I wasn't going to have enough time to do that…

First of all, I went to the pokémon center to heal my pokémon. I had to wait a bit because there was a little line up. Fortunately, all the pokémon were healed up very quickly and my turn arrived really soon. Once the nurse finished with my pokémon, I exited the place with the intention of going to the Pokémarket. But what I saw when I stepped out of the building left me almost breathless… It was Steven! He was walking towards Route 120. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to follow him. I know I sound like a stalker, but that's what love can do to people…

When he was already far enough, I began to walk. It wasn't a very long walk, but to me it felt like a thousand of kilometers. Luckily, I found him soon. He was standing in the middle of a bridge. I walked towards him slowly, almost like a ninja. I wanted him to see me, but at the same time I didn't want to. Ugh, I'm so weird! But obviously, he ended up being aware that he wasn't alone. When he turned around my heart almost jumped out of my chest. I was really happy to see him again!

"Emily? So, we meet again! How has it been?" He greeted me, smiling in a way that could have made me melt.

"I… I've been doing good… More or less." Of course, I was referring to Team Aqua, but I was too nervous to speak in a coherent way.

"Have you been using the mega bracelet wisely? I suppose I needn't even ask, though. Not when it comes to you and your team." I gasped when he finished his sentence.

"Do… do you really mean that?" I babbled.

"Of course! You shown me that you are a pretty nice trainer and you have an equally nice team." Could someone please pinch me? To this day, that still feels like a dream.

"Why, thank you very much!" I said as my cheeks burned hot like the sun.

"There's no need to do that! By the way, I wonder… have you noticed? Hm? There's something here you can't see. Now, If I were to use this device on the invisible obstacle…"

"What?"

"No, no…" Steven interrupted me. "Rather than describing it, I should just show you. That should be more entertaining. Emily… Are you and your pokémon ready for battle?"

"Yes, we always are!" I said somewhat nervously.

"Good. In that case… I want you to take this." He handed me a thing that resembled a pair of virtual reality goggles. "Try it on. I'm sure it will fit you." Indeed, they fitted me pretty well. "Do you see something?" He asked.

"Yes! It's… it's a pokémon!" Once the pokémon saw me standing there, he tried to attack me.

I promptly sent Trevor to battle. I commanded him to use dual chop. Trevor attacked that pokémon, which my Pokédex identified as Kecleon, by striking him with his claws. Then, Kecleon attacked Trevor by slashing at him with his claws. After that, I told Trevor to use fury cutter but the wild pokémon avoided the attack and punched Trevor in the face. I didn't want to make a fool of myself with Steven there, looking at me. So I ordered Trevor to use his next attack…

"Trevor, use leaf blade… AT FULL POWER!" My voice was a bit shaky as I was saying this, but never mind. Obeying to my command, Trevor slashed at his opponent using the sharp leaves on his wrists, which was enough to make that Kecleon faint. I got rid of the goggles and I turned around to see Steven.

"Just as I expected. That's called a Devon Scope. It's a fantastic piece of tech that lets you see pokémon in hiding. Consider it a gift from me. Take it." He said calmly.

"Oh, thank you!" I said as I put the device on my bag which was… a gift from Steven.

"And one more thing…" Steven said while reaching for something on his pocket. It was an object I was already familiar with, it was a mega stone. "This stone ranks as one of my favourite stones in existence, I have no doubt that your pokémon will like it, too." He said as he gave me the mega stone, which I grabbed slowly due to my hands shaking constantly. I hope he didn't notice that…

"So… this is one of your favourite stones and you are giving it to… me?" I asked while smiling like an idiot.

"Yes, why not? We are friends, after a…" He couldn't finish the sentence, because I hugged him. Yes, I actually did that! I felt like if an invisible force was pushing me towards him, I couldn't have avoided that even if I wanted to.

Hugging Steven felt so great… I could feel how he slowly hugged me back. Obviously, he was surprised by my gesture. Feeling the warmth of his body against mine made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But I broke that embrace soon so it wouldn't get awkward.

"I… I'm sorry." I felt the need to say that all of sudden.

"You don't need to apologize because of that!" After a few seconds of silence, he began to speak again. "You know, Emily… I like to see trainers and pokémon who are trying their best. That's why I like you so much." And at that moment, my sight went completely white for a moment.

"Th-thank… thank you!" I babbled in a ridiculously high pitched voice.

"You're most welcome!" He went silent for a moment. What if he realized how I was feeling at the moment? "Hm? It seemed as though something just… shone for a moment in your bag. I'm sure I sensed the power of some kind of stone… A meteorite? No, it couldn't be…" Phew! After that, he changed his attitude. "Well, let's meet again someday. Bye!"

"Bye!" And then he left. A sense of loneliness overcame me for a while, but I fixed that by remembering his words… i"That's why I like you so much."/i… Those words made me the happiest girl on Earth!

As I walked back to Fortree City, I chanted gibberish. I was so excited that I wasn't even aware of what I was saying. And if you add to that the fact that I sing really badly…

"Aasgahshyewyafsfgfsgfafuensbgvadad!" That's literally how my "song" sounded. A flock of Taillow took flight from a nearby tree. Do I really sing that badly?

I hurried back to Fortree City. I wanted to ask someone what kind of mega stone was the one that Steven gave to me. As soon as I found someone, I ran toward that person, who was a young woman.

"Hi! By any chance, do you know what kind of mega stone is this?"

She observed the round object for a moment. Then she began to speak.

"For the look of it, I'd say it's a sceptilite. But that's just me. If you have a Sceptile, you should show it to him to see what he thinks."

"Thanks a lot!" I said as I ran back to Route 120.

I released Trevor from his pokéball. Immediately, he jumped to a nearby tree. Luckily that tree wasn't too tall, he could still hear me. What I had to say was really important and even might be the key to success in future battles!

"Okay Trevor, look at this." I reached my arm to him while I held the mega stone. "Do you think this can be useful to you?"

In the blink of an eye, he jumped from the tree and approached me with a swift movement. He stared for a while at the shiny, round object. It looked like he was really interested on it. And he even grabbed it out of my hand!

"Be careful with that, Trevor! Someone very special just gave it to me…" I smiled coyly. "…and it's for you! This will make you stronger!"

Trevor seemed happy after hearing that. He gave the mega stone back to me and after I told him that I would give it to him very soon, I returned Trevor to his pokéball. Then, I went back to Fortree City, looking for a certain kind of shop. Fortree City is small, but luckily, I could find the place I was looking for.

It was a small shop where they make tailoring, repair of jewelry and… yes, they also make small stuff that pokémon can wear. I decided to ask them to make an armband with the mega stone embed into it, so Trevor could wear it.

I entered the place, there was like five or six persons looking around or speaking with the staff. I approached the man in the desk while I grabbed the stone from my pocket.

"Hi! I have a little question!"

"Yes, madam?" The man said politely.

"I have this mega stone and I was wondering if you could embed it into an armband, it's for one of my pokémon." I mentioned as I handed the object to him.

"Of course! It will take less than ten minutes. I'll be right back."

After that, the man disappeared through a door, which I supposed lead to some kind of workshop. The wait wasn't too tedious, there was a really cheering song playing to the background. It helped me to feel all pumped up for the upcoming battle against Winona.

Before I could realize, the clerk was back with exactly what I asked for: it was a black armband made of a really strong fabric, which had Trevor's mega stone set in the middle. It would look really good on him!

I had to pay twenty pokédollars for it. After I thanked the clerk, I left the shop and I released Trevor from his pokéball.

"Well Trevor, a promise is a promise! Here you have your mega stone." I chirped as I put the armband on his right arm. Trevor was really happy with it and he even gave me a hug as a sign of gratitude!

I remembered the battle against the wild Kecleon. He didn't get a lot of damage, but I sprayed a superpotion on him anyway. After that, I gave Trevor a reassuring pat on the back and I returned him to his pokéball. The next things to do were going to the gym and confront Winona and then… what came then was too intense!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Like a G6**

The whole city felt very calm as I walked towards the gym. I was anxious to try out mega evolution with Trevor! Yes, I had a disadvantage against Winona, but I didn't care. When you trust your pokémon, there's nothing that can stop you.

I entered the gym, which doors opened with a strong blow of air, determined to prove my strength. That was the sixth gym leader and if I defeated her, I would only need two more badges in order to be able to take on the Elite Four. I knew I also had some nasty obstacles on my way, but I wanted to do my best so I could get rid of them as fast as possible, although I knew it wouldn't be easy.

I had to walk through a rotating door in order to reach Winona. She was standing between two functioning small wooden mills, which made her hair move in a gentle manner. Winona appeared to be a very elegant woman.

"Hi! I'm here to challenge you to a battle." I greeted as I usually do with gym leaders.

"Nice to meet you, I am Winona. I am the leader of the Fortree Pokémon Gym. I have become one with bird pokémon and have soared the skies… However grueling the battle, we will triumph with grace… Witness the elegant choreography of my bird pokémon and me!" After saying that, she gracefully threw a pokéball, from which a Swellow appeared.

But that one was different from all the Swellow I saw during my journey: that one had a different coloration, her colors were lighter than those of a regular Swellow like, for example, my Hershey. And that's exactly the first pokémon I decided to send to battle first. After that, the battle started right away.

"Swellow, use quick attack!" The pokémon pertaining to the gym leader attacked first. She flew at an insanely high speed towards Hershey and when she reached my pokémon, Hershey was knocked down.

"Okay Hershey, use aerial ace!" He rose almost right after I gave him the command. Hershey flipped on the air and after his body became surrounded by white streaks, he slammed into his opponent.

"I like the way your pokémon moved…" Winona muttered softly before changing radically the tone of her voice. "Swellow, use double team!" The rival Swellow created multiple copies of herself, which confused Hershey. Then Winona spoke again. "Now use aerial ace!" Soon, Hershey was knocked down again by one of the Swellow that appeared.

"Hershey, focus and use wing attack!" Hershey stared for a moment at all the copies his opponent made, but he was unable to find the original pokémon. Winona took advantage of that and commanded her Swellow to use quick attack once more.

The battle started out difficult. I asked Hershey again to focus and look at his surroundings in order to try to find out where the real Swellow was. Finally, I noticed a change on his attitude.

"Good! Now use wing attack!" And this time, Hershey slammed his left wing onto his opponent's head sending her to the ground and making all the copies disappear. I congratulated Hershey for his achievement.

"Swellow, use aerial ace!" As the pokémon flew towards Hershey, I swear I could see her sparkling for a brief moment, but maybe it was just me. She disappeared during a split second before hitting my pokémon.

"Hershey, use agility and then wing attack!" Hershey began to fly very quickly towards his opponent.

"Swellow, use endeavor before he hits you!" Swellow threw herself against Hershey, pushing him back. Huh, smart move!

"Use aerial ace, Hershey!" Hershey flew towards the female Swellow and disappeared shortly before hitting her. With that, the first battle ended. I gave Hershey a head scritch to congratulate him for his excellent job.

"The grace that your pokémon moves with is impressive… but this has just started. Go, Pelipper!" She released a flying… and water type! That would be great to test Trevor's mega evolution.

So that's what I did next, I sent Trevor out to the battlefield. Winona was kinda surprised upon seeing my choice. But she didn't know I had an ace up on my sleeve!

"Trevor…MEGA EVOLVE!" I roared as I touched the key stone on my mega bracelet. This was very exciting, I never saw how mega Sceptile looked like and that was the first time. And as with Alyx, the sensation during the process was indescribable.

And once said process finished, the result astonished me: now Trevor was taller and the shape of his head had changed. His eyes were now smaller and narrower; they also were surrounded by red markings. He was looking fiercer! And instead of facing his opponent, he was facing me but looking behind at all times. Trevor was looking really rad!

"Trevor, use dual chop!" He moved faster than ever. Trevor approached Pelipper in the blink of an eye and struck her with his claws, which were glowing green during the onset. His attack was insanely powerful!

"Pelipper, roost!" Winona was looking very calm. And no wonder she was so serene, Pelipper rested on the ground as her body began to glow, regaining some of her energy. Well played!

The next thing Winona did was telling her pokémon to use aerial ace. Pelipper dived down at Trevor and flapped her wings once. After she did that, it was almost impossible to see where she was. Then Pelipper slammed into Trevor twice.

The damage didn't scare me. "Trevor, use mega drain!" His tail glowed green and a beam of the same color went from Pelipper to Trevor, making him regain most of the energy he lost due to the attack. He was doing very well even if he was in a disadvantage against the opponent. "Now use leaf blade!"

"Pelipper, use protect!" A green force field surrounded her, protecting Pelipper from Trevor's onset. "Now use water pulse!" Pelipper fired a ball of water at Trevor. Then said ball became a wave that attacked my pokémon. As it's obvious, that attack didn't damage Trevor very much.

"Trevor, use leaf blade!" My starter pokémon slashed Pelipper with the leaves on his wrists, which also become longer and even sharper. The attack did a good amount of damage, but Winona wasn't happy with that.

"Pelipper, use roost again!" The pokémon rested again on the floor, retrieving practically all of her energy. Winona was a hard nut to crack!

"Trevor, use dual chop!" Trevor took advantage of the fact that Pelipper was still on the floor. This time, instead of striking her with his claws, Trevor hit her twice using his tail. That sent Pelipper flying to the left wall of the room.

Winona still kept her serene and graceful attitude. "Pelipper, use aerial ace!" This time Pelipper attacked in a harsher way. It looked like she was really angry at Trevor! The attack made Trevor fall on his knees.

"Trevor, use gigadrain!" As soon as he could stand up, Trevor absorbed the energy from his opponent again.

"Now use water pulse, Pelipper!" The bird pokémon was already very tired and she took her time to respond to Winona's command. Slowly, Pelipper began to form a ball of water on her beak.

"Trevor, when the water is about to hit you, jump and use leaf blade!" And as I said, when the water began to move towards him, Trevor jumped high and attacked the bird pokémon, finally making her faint.

"I'm very impressed by what I just saw, but you still didn't see the rest. Go, Skarmory!" A metallic bird appeared from the red and white device. The best choice would be sending out Venus against her.

"It's your turn, Venus!" My Milotic made her entrance in the arena. Winona wasn't impressed or at least, she didn't look like she was. "Venus, start with aqua tail!" She stuck her tail out and a spiral of water spun around it. Then Venus flipped around and hit Skarmory with her tail. The metallic bird was sent flying against the window behind Winona.

The gym leader blinked a few times, knowing that there wasn't very much to do against my water type. Anyway, she told her pokémon to use her first attack. "Skarmory, use sand attack!" Skarmory flapped her wings, creating a little sandstorm that reached Venus eyes and left her almost unable to see anything.

"Venus, use water pulse!" But she couldn't perform the attack because of the dirt in her eyes. Well, she performed the attack but it didn't hit her opponent.

"Well done Skarmory. Now use steel wing!" Skarmory's right wing glowed white and she slammed it onto Venus, causing her to fall down. She recovered from the hit very soon, though.

"Venus, look at Skarmory and use water pulse!" She had no dirt in her eyes anymore; Venus could attack her opponent successfully. A large ring of water appeared around her body and expanded, hitting Skarmory and sending her to the floor.

"Skarmory, use air cutter!" Winona's pokémon was getting ready to attack, but I wouldn't allow her to hit my pokémon.

"Venus, dodge it and use twister!" Venus slithered quickly, moving away from the attack's trajectory. Then, an orb of wind appeared in front of the end of her tail. Then, a tornado was released from the orb and it hit Skarmory, making her fly all around the room. Winona silently followed the trajectory of her pokémon before it landed before her, falling abruptly to the floor. I predicted the battle was close to its end.

"Skarmory, use air cutter now!" The steel and flying type managed to rise up in the air again as she opened her mouth. Then, Skarmory released a strong gust with light blue "S" shaped energy, which slashed Venus's entire body.

"Venus, use recover and aqua tail!" Venus's body glowed gold and the damaged on her body disappeared. Immediately after that, Venus's tail began to glow blue and she spun it around. As the tail was spinning, a spiral of water formed. Then, she flipped her tail and the little water twister hit Skarmory. The metallic bird was already very close to fainting.

"Alright Skarmory, use aerial ace now!" With her remaining energy, Skarmory flew towards Venus and flipped on the air as she was becoming engulfed on streaks of white light. Then she hit my pokémon.

"This is almost over, Venus! Use twister!" She began to spin her tailfins like a fan and a tornado came out to Skarmory. After being shaken up and down, Skarmory fell to the floor, having already fainted. Now Winona had only one pokémon remaining!

"I trust you, Altaria!" She said sending out her last pokémon. I instantly recognized that pokémon: I could tell from her looks that it was Swablu's evolved form. Aww, Cloudia would be so beautiful after evolving!

"Now it's your turn, Alyx!" I knew it would be a great shock to Winona and indeed, it was.

"I never saw something like this in all the time I've been a leader… A challenger who owns a legendary pokémon!" She abandoned her calm demeanor while saying all that. "How… how did you get her?"

"Well, I will only say I had to save her from very dangerous people. It's a long story." I explained as if it wasn't anything extraordinary.

"Okay… let's start then. Altaria, use cotton guard!" The fluff on Altaria's wings puffed up as she formed more cotton in front of her, creating a cottony barrier.

"Alright, Alyx! Use mist ball!" She created a ball of mist over the opponent. Then said ball impacted on Altaria. Sadly, it didn't do much damage due to the cottony barrier.

"Now use dragon breath, Altaria!" The fluffy pokémon fired a thick, green beam of energy with white rings around it at Alyx. Since dragon types are super effective against each other, the attack did quite a lot of damage.

"Alyx, use recover and dragon breath!" A green light surrounded her, making the damage on her body disappear. Then, she fired a blue beam from her mouth towards Altaria. Alyx's onset was pretty harmful too.

"Altaria, now use roost and cotton guard again!" Altaria rested on the floor, recovering her energy, as the barrier of fluff grew bigger. She wanted to put things difficult for us, huh?

"Alyx, use dragon breath again!" The attack hit Altaria, but this time just did half of the damage it did before.

"Altaria, use dragon breath too!" She fired a transparent beam of energy at Alyx. The attack sent my pokémon to the floor.

"Alyx, show them what you are made of and use mist ball again… at full power!" This time the ball was bigger than before, and not only did it damage Altaria, but it also destroyed part of the cotton barrier!

"Using earthquake wouldn't be a clever move so… Use dragon breath again!" Winona ordered to her last pokémon, who hit my pokémon like all the other times.

"Alyx, use recover and dragon pulse at the same time!" As the same green light surrounded Alyx, curing her wounds, she put her hands together, making a greenish ball of energy appear between them. After that, Alyx fired the ball at Altaria.

"Altaria, use roost again!"

"Don't let her do that, Alyx! Use dragon breath at full power!" Alyx fired a huge blue beam of energy surrounded by white rings. Said beam of energy sent Altaria to the window, the dragon pokémon was about to faint.

"Altaria, use dragon breath!" Winona commanded very calmly, knowing that the battle was lost. Her Altaria attacked with a green energy beam, which damaged my pokémon a lot. Alyx was almost about to faint. To this day I still think we were lucky that she could endure the hit like that.

"Alyx, use mist ball. This will be the last time, I promise!" My legendary pokémon threw a pinkish ball of mist at Altaria, which made her faint for once and for all. That was a very interesting gym battle, to be honest!

Winona withdrew Altaria with a graceful gesture. "Never before have I seen a trainer command pokémon with more grace than I…" She said without abandoning her serene attitude.

"Thank you!" That was quite a compliment, coming from such a strong trainer as Winona!

"I recognize your talent and I present you with this gym badge." She gave me a badge shaped like feathers on a bird type pokémon wing. "Now you will also be able to fly with your pokémon."

"Wow that sounds amazing! I can't wait to try out that experience."

"Yes, it is a unique adventure." Winona did a short pause. "You won against me… I know you'll keep aiming higher and higher! Someday, you may even fly up into the sky… That's the impression I get from you."

"Thanks, Winona! Your words are very inspiring to me."

After saying goodbye, I left the gym. But as soon as the doors closed, I knew something wasn't right…


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: The orb of doom**

I went to the pokémon center to cure my team. After that, I had planned to visit the Pokémon Ranger School to gather some information, I think being a pokémon ranger sounds really interesting. But my plans were spoiled at the exact moment I entered the pokémon center. A man and a woman were talking to each other.

"Have you heard the news?" The woman said very concerned.

"No, what is it?" The man answered.

"Apparently, there's a bunch of strange looking people near Mount Pyre. I heard they look like pirates or something like that." The lady explained to her interlocutor.

I didn't need to hear more, I immediately knew they were talking about Team Aqua. Quickly, I approached the nurse and I asked her to heal my pokémon. As soon as she was done, I ran as fast as I could, trying to reach Route 121. I had to go all the way through Route 120, riding in my bicycle so I could reach the next route sooner.

Mount Pyre is actually a graveyard for both human and pokémon. You might think the mere thought of having to go to a place like that terrified me, but nothing could be further from the truth: if it meant I would be able to stop Team Aqua for once and for all, I would gladly go to almost anywhere. The only thing that made me feel a bit bad was, what if someday one of my pokémon…? No, I didn't want to think about it.

When I finally arrived Route 121, everything seemed very quiet. There were a couple of berry trees, which I collected and put in my bag. That helped me to recover my breath a bit, I pedaled way too fast! Once I finished with the berries, I rode my bicycle again, this time pedaling at a regular pace, not too fast but not too slow. It didn't take long until I spotted the Team Aqua grunts. I stopped and I watched them.

"Well, let's get going to Mount Pyre!" And then they left walking in a straight line.

I waited until they were already a bit far away and I began to follow them. Ah, an hour ago I was following the guy I like and now I was following a bunch of villains! I almost lost sight of them a couple of times since I was getting very tired and I had to stop pedaling. At that point, I didn't know whether I should keep riding the bicycle or if I should have to walk. I chose to keep pedaling.

It was hot and that made things more difficult. I like warm weather but in these conditions it's all but pleasing. But finally, I reached Route 122, the last one before arriving Mount Pyre. My efforts finally gave their result! I ended up losing sight of the grunts, but it wasn't a problem since I was almost reaching my destination. Finally, I made it to a gangway from which the aquatic route started, so I released Venus and she gladly took me all the way from that place to the island in which Mount Pyre lied.

The ride wasn't very long, but it helped me to relax a bit. I knew I had to be ready to fight… and to discover a bunch of new things regarding Team Aqua's crazy plans. "What will it be this time?" I asked myself as I made Venus return to her pokéball. Then I turned around and I saw the entrance to Mount Pyre sitting there, ready to receive whoever wanted to enter… even if the people entering were a bunch of nutcases planning on flooding the world by awakening a legendary pokémon.

As soon as I entered, I saw a bunch of graves and many people paying their respects. The walls and the floor were covered in gray tiles, which made the place even gloomier. I really wanted to stop and pay some respects too, but I had no time to do it. I only wanted to go and know what Team Aqua was up to this time. I even saw a couple of ghost type pokémon that my Pokédex identified as Shuppet. Very cute, but I had no time to play. I went upstairs and I reached a floor almost identical to the first one.

There were some people crying, which was very understandable given the place we were in, and some even asked me for a battle. Unfortunately, I had to refuse the request (in a polite way, of course!). I was in a hurry; I wanted to reach the peak of Mount Pyre before Team Aqua did something dangerous. In the new floor, there was a round arch leading outside. I crossed it and the atmosphere was totally different.

The outside of Mount Pyre has many precipices and several patches of tall grass. The place is unnervingly silent, but at the same time that sheer silence brings a sensation of peace. I remember that it was slightly foggy, but not enough to difficult my sight. There are also more graves outside, but no one was there. I remember feeling a slight sensation of vertigo when I looked at the mountain's summit. I was pretty sure that once I reached it, I would see the entire region!

The way to the top was mildly exhausting, but I could make it. After a while, I saw the same Team Aqua soldiers I spotted back at the Route 121. I knew I would have to fight them, but it wasn't a problem. They had nothing to do against someone who just won her sixth gym badge! But I must say that a couple of the grunts did put things a bit difficult to me. I didn't use Alyx against them; I was letting her rest just in case I had to fight against Archie or Shelly.

But when I finally made to the top, Shelly wasn't there. But as I predicted, Archie was indeed there. There was also Matt, the other guy I fought along with Steven the day I caught Alyx… and an elderly couple who clearly had nothing to do with Team Aqua. So now Team Aqua was also harassing their elders?

"Ahem!" I cleared my throat loudly in order to make Archie aware of my presence.

"Uh, I thought something was a bit noisy, and who is it but the usual scamp! Sorry, scampo, but I'm afraid I just don't have time to play with you right now."

"Sorry Archie but I'm not here to play. I just want to know what's going on." I declared with a stern expression.

"Oh well, since you are so anxious, I'll let you know. The blue orb that's long been enshrined here at Mount Pyre… It belongs to Team Aqua now!" He said while showing it to me for a split second. Then he looked left. "Ma-a-att!"

"Oh! Boss!" Matt appeared quickly upon his captain's call.

"How about you do a favor for our lovely visitor, and keep her entertained? You'd better use your full strength too, so you don't offend our honored guest!" Archie said while looking at me with a disgustingly smug expression.

"Hahaha, now your boyfriend isn't here to protect you!" Matt cackled.

"Boyfriend? Wha…?" He was talking about Steven! That made my cheeks burn… "He's not my boyfriend… but I wish he was." I muttered the last part of the sentence as lowly as possible so he couldn't hear me.

Archie and the grunts began to walk away as the aforementioned talked.

"Bwahahahaha! With this blue orb in my hands, I won't even need the power of the meteorite to awaken the beast from the deep! All I need now is a way to get to the place where it sleeps. All I have to do is get that submarine they're making in Slateport! Come on, boys! We're for Slateport City! We will get there in a couple of days." Then they disappeared down the mountain.

"All right then, until the boss makes his getaway, I'll be your opponent!" Matt boomed getting ready to release his pokémon.

"Fine, but I won't make things easy for you!" I expressed full of confidence.

"Oohh… Ha! Ha! Hah!" The Team Aqua administrator laughed as he threw a pokéball from which a Sharpedo appeared.

Without further ado, I did the same. I chose to send Berry to the battle field. I wanted her to fight a bit as well; Trevor shouldn't be the only one doing the entire job! All my pokémon are equally worthy.

"Sharpedo, start with scary face!" The ferocious looking pokémon made a horrid face that scared the living heck out of Berry.

"Berry, go with magical leaf!" My pokémon brought her hands forwards, making the glowing leaves launch at her opponent, slashing him.

"Sharpedo, use poison fang now!" Sharpedo's fangs glowed purple as he bit Berry. She struggled to free herself from the grip of her opponent, but it was useless. Sharpedo only left her go when Matt told him to. That left Berry badly poisoned and really injured.

I had to go and spray an antidote on her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to continue with the battle.

"Berry, use draining kiss!" Berry walked towards Sharpedo as fast as he could and stole him a kiss, regaining part of the energy she lost because of his opponent's attack.

"Sharpedo, use slash!" The water and dark type used the denticles on his upper fin to slash my pokémon. Compared to the former attack, that didn't do so much damage.

"Berry, use draining kiss again!" This time she could move faster. She retrieved almost all of her energy, which would make everything easier… although it was clear that Matt didn't want to make things easy for us.

"Sharpedo, use scary face and ice fang at the same time!" After making a face as hideous as the first one, Sharpedo quickly dodged at my pokémon and bitted her as an icy mist began to solidify, covering Berry in ice from the waist down.

Dang it! I had no ice heals since I didn't predict that something like that could happen. I told Berry to try and move, but she couldn't do anything with her legs. At least she still could use magical leaf, which was the next move she used.

After that, Sharpedo used slash. The fact that Berry couldn't defend herself seemed to be amusing for Matt, and that made my blood boil. Yes, I could have used another pokémon, but that was Berry's battle. I was really hoping for a miracle when Matt ordered Sharpedo to use the attack that could have ended everything.

"Sharpedo, go and use poison fang!" Sharpedo moved towards Berry very quickly, ready to attack. I was about to close my eyes to avoid witnessing that when…

…the ice on Berry's legs broke. Then she jumped dodging the attack and immediately after that, a white light began to surround her. I already knew what was going on. I saw how Berry morphed into a taller figure, developing something that looked like a gown. When the light disappeared, I was hallucinating with her new form.

If as a Kirlia Berry resembled a ballerina, upon evolving she looked like a principal dancer, the star of the show.

iGardevoir has the psychokinetic power to distort the dimensions and create a small black hole. This pokémon will try to protect its trainer even at risk of its own life."/i

Berry has always been a very noble and loyal pokémon, so reading that in the Pokédex didn't surprise me. I only hope that she will never have to risk herself because of me. Well, let's go back to the battle, shall we?

"Well well well! Your pokémon just evolved! It looks like the battle will be more interesting. Ha! Ha! Hah!" Matt cackled loudly.

"Of course! Boring you isn't my intention, after all." Then I did a brief pause before telling Berry which was the next attack to use. "I know it won't do much but… Berry, use psychic!" Berry's eyes glowed light blue and then she crossed her arms. After that, she opened her arms again and two light blue waves of energy were fired directly at Sharpedo. As expected, all it did was making him shriek slightly.

"Smart move!" Matt said in a heavily sarcastic tone. "Sharpedo, now use slash!" His upper fin glowed white and then Sharpedo proceeded to dive towards Berry, attacking her with the sharp appendix.

"Berry, use magical leaf now!" She raised her hands and released multiple glowing leaves but…

"Sharpedo, dodge the attack and use ice fang!" This time, the attack was harmful too but luckily, it didn't freeze her. Since she endured the hit so well, I didn't see the need to use a hyperpotion.

"Berry, use draining kiss!" She moved towards her opponent very quickly, almost floating, and then kissed him on the cheek. A light yellow orb of energy flew off from Sharpedo and into Berry, making her retrieve part of her energy. Sharpedo already looked very weak, the battle was about to end!

"Sharpedo, use poison fang!" His fangs glowed bright purple and then Sharpedo dug them into Berry's left side.

After that, I sprayed a superpotion on Berry and told her to use magical leaf. And this time the attack succeeded, giving us another victory against a Team Aqua member! I congratulated Berry before returning her to the pokéball. Then, Matt's loud laugh startled me.

"Muwuhahaha! That battle was fun even though I lost!"

"Yes, I had fun too. I'm glad I gave you a good time." I declared with a serious expression as I put Berry's pokéball back at my bag.

"I knew you'd show me a good time! I look forward to facing you again someday!" Then he left, running down the steps that led to the summit.

With the heath of the battle, I forgot about the old couple on the summit. They witnessed everything. The woman approached the altar where the blue orb sat.

"Aye, me, what disaster… The blue orb… stole from our safekeeping…" She sighed before continuing. "The blue orb and red orb must never be separated. They belong together… Mmmm…" Then she turned around, facing me. "I will entrust the remaining red orb to you, young one."

"REALLY?! Do you want me to have such an important artifact? What if I break it or something?" Wow, I never imagined that I would have to keep a millenary artifact with me!

"That won't happen. We know you are aware of how important it is." The old man spoke slowly.

Then the couple made way for me to grab the red orb. My hands shook a bit as I was grabbing the important object but no, I didn't drop it! I quickly put the sphere into my bag. Then, the old lady spoke again to me.

"And I beg you… chase after those thieves and take back their orb! That wretched leader of theirs… I'm sure they said they were headed for Slateport City next…"

"Yes." I confirmed. "He also said that it would take them a couple of days to arrive, but I will be heading to Slateport right now so I can catch them as soon as possible."

"Well done, young one. We trust you to retrieve the blue orb!" The old lady said while patting my shoulder.

"Yes, you are young and strong. It shouldn't be hard for you to do it!" The old man cheered. They really trusted me!

I didn't want to disappoint that couple. I knew that maybe that would be the only time I saw them, but I really wished to be able to do what they asked me. Plus, the entire region, no, the entire world was at stake!

The next stop would be Slateport's harbor. I had to tell them what would happen in the next days. That's it, if I could make it to Slateport City before Team Aqua did. But that shouldn't be a problem, now I could fly with Hershey anywhere!


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Two days**

With a millenary artifact sitting on my bag, I walked down Mount Pyre, trying to go back to Fortree City. I moved very slowly, putting a lot of care into everything I did just in case the red orb broke. At that moment, I truly felt a heavy burden upon my shoulders. Now it wasn't only the fact that I had to chase Team Aqua, I also had to retrieve a legendary object to take it back to the place where it belonged, along with another object that was sitting in my bag.

The way down Mount Pyre was really tedious. I walked almost like someone who is stepping on hot coal. With all these steps, I was afraid that the red orb would break. It wasn't that frail, I can't say what it's made of but it looks pretty resistant. It's only that at the moment I felt very overwhelmed by the kind of responsibility I just acquired.

But finally, I made it back to Route 122! I used the occasion to fly with Hershey for the first time. The trip was very short, but it was totally worth! I didn't fly on a pokémon since the day I rode on Latios along with Steven. Ah, I wondered how he was doing although I already saw him a while ago.

Hershey stopped right in front of the pokémon center, which was very convenient since I was going there to heal my pokémon and rest for a while. Although I wanted to arrive to Slateport as soon as possible, I knew that I had enough time before Team Aqua arrived. I also had to warn the staff of Slateport's harbor so they could be ready for the villainous onset.

Once the nurse was done healing up my pokémon, I sat at one of the couches and I grabbed a bottle of orange juice from my bag. When I opened it, I couldn't avoid taking a look at the red orb. It's shiny and it has an omega symbol on it. The orb also reminds me of the interior of volcanoes. I heard all the legends surrounding the red orb; it was used to control Groudon's power, just like the blue orb was used to control Kyogre's power. That's why the fact that Team Aqua had the blue orb on their power was so dangerous.

I remember that after finishing the juice I almost fell asleep in the couch. Actually, I think I did fell asleep.

"Hey, are you alright?" It was the nurse. She talked to me in a soft tone.

"Yes, I'm just a bit tired."

"Just a bit tired? I think you should go to one of the rooms and rest a bit." She said without abandoning her calm voice tone.

Maybe she was right; the battles against Josh, Winona and Matt left me kinda tired. Following her advice, I headed towards one of the rooms. I took my shoes off and I laid on the bed. And indeed, I fell asleep almost immediately.

When I woke up, four hours had passed by. I felt much better and eager to resume my journey. The sun was still out, so I flew with Hershey towards Slateport City with no problem. This time, the trip was longer and much more enjoyable. The sight was breathtaking: I could see practically the whole region on its entirety. Seen from above, you realize it's even larger than you could ever imagine! We also came across a couple of flocks of pokémon such as Swablu or Wingull. Hershey insisted in battling them, which was really interesting. I never had an airborne battle!

Finally, we landed on Slateport City. The place seemed very peaceful. The scent of the waves inundated the place. People walked here and there, some were exiting the market while others entered the Contest Hall. It was a totally normal day, nobody knew that within two days the members of an extremist organization would come and steal a submarine…

I had to go to Slateport's harbor to inform them about what Team Aqua had planned. Maybe they would be able to stop them and ruin their plans for once and for all! They only needed to be a bit understanding. It was very important that they knew it; the people at the harbor had to be ready for anything. Some Team Aqua members wouldn't hesitate to use violence!

I arrived in five minutes. When I entered the place, there was a small group of people working in what I presumed it was the submarine Team Aqua was going after. Before I could walk further into the building, a receptionist stopped me.

"Hi! Can I help you?"

"Yes, I was looking for Captain Stern." I said as I tried to look calm.

"I'm afraid that you won't find him today. He's out of the city, but he will be back in two days." The blonde woman announced.

"Really? Two days?" That was a great problem…

"Yes, two days. Do you want me to give him a message?"

"I… I don't know. What I have to say is very important. But I guess you'll understand." I responded after sighing with mild frustration. "Within two days, an organization called Team Aqua will come here to steal the submarine you are working on. They want it in order to reach the place where Kyogre sleeps. If they succeed, it will be a disaster: torrential rains, massive floods, you name it. So please, pay attention and be ready to fight them."

The receptionist stared at me for a few seconds and then bursted into laughter.

"So you say there is someone wanting to wake up Kyogre, and that they will come here to steal OUR submarine?" Clearly, she thought I was joking.

"Yes, and I'm totally serious." I answered trying to hide my incipient anger. I don't like when people laugh at me like that when I'm being dead serious!

"But if I'm not wrong, some guys of that so called organization came here some time ago and someone defeated them and then they left. Why would they be back now?"

"Because they are strong and they won't stop until they achieve their goal." I declared as I looked her right into her eyes.

"Come on, stop this joke, I have a job to do." That woman was being way too rude. I was starting to feel very annoyed.

"But you have to believe me! The whole word is at stake!" I claimed desperately.

"SECURITY!" The receptionist called as she gave me a nasty look. I left the building before someone came to kick me out.

I felt very frustrated at that moment. I went there to warn them about something very serious and that darn receptionist didn't believe me. Well, she wasn't obliged to believe me, but what I told her was too important to brush it off like a mere joke, like she did. I was raging inside and sadly, I took it out in a totally innocent person.

"Excuse me, would you like to try out our…?" The man couldn't finish his sentence.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M INTERESTED IN YOU NONSENSE?" I yelled at him like I never did before. He looked at me with a scared expression. I negatively surprised myself. "I'm very sorry." I apologized before running towards the local hostel, the same hostel where I stayed the first time I went to Slateport City.

Once I paid for my room and I entered it, I threw my bag to the floor and I sat on the bed, staring at the plain white wall. I was feeling somewhat depressed and really stressed. Since the staff of the harbor wasn't going to be ready, the responsibility of fighting Team Aqua laid upon my shoulders once more. I didn't know if I would be capable to fight them but, if I could defeat them so many times, why wouldn't I do it again? It wasn't time to give up! Thinking about that made me feel a bit better, but I was still pretty worried.

That night, I went to the beach and I left all of my pokémon (yes, including Alyx) out of their pokéballs. I thought that hanging out with them would make me feel much better, and I wasn't wrong! Berry did everything to try to entertain me, from performing a little ballet choreography (she still has the moves!) to playing a little prank on Trevor using her psychic powers. It was really amusing!

"What would I do without you, guys?" I muttered lowly.

Venus coiled softly around me, which was very comfortable. She is better than a hammock! The breeze also helped me to relax. At the end, I wasn't that nervous and that night, when I went to bed, I had a restful sleep. That day was very intense; I fought against my rival, I came across the man I love, I won my sixth gym badge and I was entrusted with a legendary object. I really needed to sleep and relax!

The next day, I woke up at ten o'clock. As soon as I finished my breakfast, I headed towards Route 110 in order to train with my pokémon before the imminent battle against Team Aqua. If the people at Slateport harbor weren't going to get ready, I would make sure to get ready myself! The pokémon at Route 110 were a bit weak for my pokémon, but it was something.

After a training session that lasted half an hour more or less, I gave my pokémon a deserved rest by taking them to the pokémon center. Then, I went to the Contest Hall. Instead of a contest, that day they were showing a documentary about the history of pokémon contests in the Hoenn region. Apparently, these kinds of events are very popular in Sinnoh and they are starting to become a trend in Kalos as well. Of course, the film featured Lisia. She's a much loved celebrity in Hoenn! I still remember the day she paid a ticket for me so I could go to a contest they were holding in that same place.

When the film ended, I went to the market. I bought a little bottle of vitamins for the guys. The shopkeeper told me that I only needed to put a few drops into their food and serve as always. If that was going to make them healthier and stronger, of course I was going to buy it! In fact, I have in my bag a couple of little bottles of vitamins. They work just great.

That day, I also took advantage of my newly acquired ability of flying with Hershey to almost anywhere to go to Mauville City. And, guess what I went to do there? Yes, I went to the cafeteria and I had a couple of Mauville ramen bowls. That day I felt particularly self indulgent, huehuehue! Of course, I also prepared something special for my pokémon. I did a berry salad using the preferred kind of berry of each one of them. Their reaction was priceless!

I was having a great day so far. I didn't forget about the upcoming threat, but I think I deserved to feel happy and relaxed. You can be eternally worried and upset! I already knew that I would have an important fight within a day! I didn't need to make myself feel worse. And of course, I didn't want my pokémon to see me so distressed. If I was nervous, they would be nervous too. And that wouldn't be good when fighting!

The next day, which was the day before Team Aqua arrived to the city, I spent it mostly training with my team and wandering around the city, but mostly the market. Slateport City's market was a special place: it's the place where I saved Venus from her abusive trainer. I wonder what he would say if he saw her now… Maybe he would regret treating her like that. But a man like that doesn't deserve such a good pokémon.

And Slateport's market is also the place where Steven saved me during that panic attack. It was very nice from him… that's another reason why I like him so much. Steven is very caring, and that is a quality I appreciate a lot.

I would have never guessed that I would have to return to Slateport City in a circumstance like that. Even after a day, the way the receptionist of Slateport's harbor treated me still made me angry. What would they do when Team Aqua takes their submarine away? Will the rude receptionist call security too? Heh, I doubt a group of security guards would have been enough to stop those Team Aqua guys.

That night I drank a cup of linden blossom tea before going to sleep, I knew I would need it. I set the alarm to go off at nine o'clock in the morning. I wanted to wake up early and make sure I would be there before Archie and his team arrived. I felt like someone who was getting ready to meet with a terrible fate. I wasn't extremely stressed, but I felt really uneasy.

Surprisingly, I slept really well. I had no nightmares and I didn't wake up at any moment of the night. Maybe the tea I drank had something to do with it.

The next day arrived and I was awakened why the continuous ringing of the alarm clock. Also, the sunrays impacted right on my face. I turned off the alarm and I stayed on bed for a couple of minutes. Then I went straight to the hostel's cafeteria and I had my breakfast. Toasts with strawberry jam and a glass of orange juice, just like at home. To be honest, having the same breakfast than in my house helped me to calm down a bit.

After finishing with the meal, I approached the harbor. No one was there, it was half past nine. I walked around for a while, but no one appeared. After that, I headed towards the nearby beach and I trained with my pokémon for a little while. I even allowed Venus to swim a bit, but by herself, without having to carry me. After about half an hour, I went back to the harbor. No one was there yet.

I was starting to feel very nervous. Would they reach Slateport City that day? Was that just a bluff? Where they trying to fool me? Team Aqua could have been capable of doing all that, knowing how passionate they were about their goal! But no, nothing of that happened.

I went to the market once again, hoping that walking around the place would calm me down a bit. And after a while, I heard a short conversation between two very excited women.

"Oh my Arceus, there are television cameras on the harbor!" One of them said while flailing her arms in excitement.

"Wow, we must go and see!" The other woman responded equally delighted. Shortly after they left, I headed towards the harbor too.

Indeed, there was a group of journalists filming and interviewing Captain Stern. So far, it didn't look like Team Aqua was there, but they might take advantage of the crowd to go unnoticed.

"This is about to begin…" I said to myself. And, as I confirmed shortly after, I wasn't wrong…


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Impending danger**

Once I got to the place where Captain Stern was being interviewed, I merged into the crowd, ready for anything.

"Yes, indeed. And that's why we intend to move ahead with our expedition." The captain answered to one of the questions.

"That's wonderful, Captain Stern! Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to talk to us." The interviewer manifested. Apparently, the interview was actually about to end. Meanwhile, I looked in every direction possible trying to spot possible Team Aqua members. "We hope we can interview you again with news of more discoveries!" And effectively, once these words were pronounced, the team of journalists left the place.

When the correspondents where away, the captain walked away from the harbor's door and sighed.

"Whew… That was my first time being filmed for television. What a nerve-racking experience!" After that, the captain was going to enter the building, but he spotted me. "Oh! It's you again! You're looking well. Glad to see it."

"I'm very glad to see you again as well!"I greeted back. I doubted whether telling all about Team Aqua's plan or not, but I actually didn't need to say anything…

"We made a huge discovery on our latest expedition to the seafloor."

"What is it, captain?" I asked although I was pretty sure that I knew what he was going to say.

"We found an underwater cavern on Route 128 and we think it may be the den of a super-ancient pokémon long thought to be extinct."

My hands began to tremble with both excitement and fear.

"Are you talking about…?" At that moment, my words were interrupted by a voice that came from inside the harbor's building.

"Ahhh… Ahhh… Testing, testing. One, two, three… Okay." I recognized that voice. It was Archie! I cursed myself for not having been enough attentive… I shouldn't have left the place at all. "I hope you're listening out there… Captain Stern! We of Team Aqua will now be assuming control of your lovely submarine!"

The crowd went quiet. Some people looked at each other, as if the other person had the answer of what was going on. Others, me included, didn't dare to move not even a millimeter. I felt disappointed with myself. I didn't take enough care… although maybe they just sneaked into the harbor in a way no one could have seen them. Archie's voice continued to boom through the speakers.

"You'll contribute to our great plan of returning everything to the beginning… I hope you appreciate this great honor!" Then he started to laugh like a maniac. "Wah… hahahah! Bwahahahahaha!"

The crowd was still in a state of utter confusion. Once Archie finished, dozens of voices began to mutter.

"What was he talking about?"

"What did he mean, that everything will be returned to the beginning?"

And many other questions like that could be heard. I promptly looked at Captain Stern; he was even more confused than the entire crowd was.

"What was that? It's like someone is using a megaphone…" It took a while for him to realize about what just happened. "Our submarine! They took it!" Then he looked at me. "Young lady! I'm sorry, but… Please come with me!"

We entered the harbor and as we did, I noticed the receptionist from the other day was there. She looked at me with a terrified expression, she was very pale. It was almost like if she was saying "Now I know you were right."

And we also noticed that Archie and Shelly were there. The captain was boiling with indignation.

"Those thugs…" He growled. "They're the same lot who tried to take the Devon parts at the museum..."

"Captain, they are more than thugs… Team Aqua is very serious about their goal." I whispered to him, although it was unavoidable that Archie and Shelly would eventually notice our presence. Surprisingly enough, Captain Stern made a gesture prompting me to approach the duo.

As soon as we reached them, both Archie and Shelly turned around to face us.

"Impossible!" Archie cackled. "You actually have been waiting for us here in Slateport City?"

"Why yes, that's exactly what I did. Don't you see?" I remember how intimidated I felt the first time I saw Archie, but now I dared to be a bit rude to him!

"Grah-hah! You got me! I bow to your persistence and love of justice! Bwaha! Bwahahahahah" The fact that he was mocking me made me feel a bit irked, but I didn't give him the pleasure to show how I was feeling. He continued talking. "It's a pity, so it is, but we're well past the time when you and your best efforts could turn the tide."

"NO! You haven't seen all I have to offer yet." I defied Archie while I tried to contain my anger. Shelly watched the entire scene with her hands on her hips, without saying a word.

"Bwahahahaha, this Skitty just showed her claws!" Archie mocked me once again. I chose to remain silent. "We'll add a few last touches to the submarine, and we'll be all set to bust open the Seafloor Cavern where that great pokémon is sleeping." Then he did a pause to take breath before continuing with his exposition. "Our plans to return everything to the beginning… They're as good as complete!" And then Archie continued talking. "But I know you gotta do what you gotta do, scamp. I'm not gonna tell ya to quit chasing us."

"Do I look like I'm going to give up any soon?" I asked as I lifted my chin, trying to transmit a sensation of self confidence.

"That's why I'm gonna tell you this! Follow us all the way to our hideout in Lilycove, if that's what your honor demands." Then Archie turned around to face his partner. "Now then… Shelly?"

"Got it." The dark haired woman responded. "You guys! Keep that spoiled brat busy until the submarine takes off." A couple of grunts appeared in the blink of an eye.

"Aye aye!"

"Ma'am!"

"Let's go. Archie…" Shelly prompted her boss to follow her.

"We'll see you there, then! My little scamp adversary! Grahahaha! Bwahahahaha!" Ugh, I really hated Archie's laugh!

"We'll meet again soon, my annoying little enemy…" I muttered once he closed the submarine's door. Along with the captain, I watched silently how the vehicle sank into the water. Then one of the grunts interrupted my thoughts.

"I can fight like Poseidon even on land!" He boasted shamelessly.

"Well, then show me how you do it." I challenged him as I grabbed Cloudia's pokéball from my bag.

It was a very short battle, but I will tell you how it went because something very important happened. The soldier released a Mightyena, which didn't intimidate me in the slightest.

"Cloudia, use cotton guard!" The cotton on her wings puffed up several balls of cotton appeared in front of her, which would help her to soften the hits she would take.

"Mightyena, use bite!" The dark type pokémon jumped towards Cloudia and bit one of her wings.

Not only the attack didn't harm her very much, but… she also evolved. As soon as I saw how Cloudia began to glow white I knew what was going one. I was already used to the process, but that didn't make it any less exciting. Now I had an Altaria!

Cloudia wanted to show me her new attack, which was dragon breath. She released a pale purple flame from her mouth, which sent her opponent a few meters away.

It only took another bite from Mightyena and a powerful tackle from Cloudia to finish the battle. Obviously, the victory was ours. Then I had to face another grunt, this time was a girl who didn't appear to be much older than me. She claimed to be Team Aqua's 26th strongest grunt. The girl had a Carvanha and a Golbat. The former was easily defeated by Trevor, while the latest was defeated with two ice beams from Venus.

After the two battles ended, both of the grunts began to talk to each other.

"Mission complete!" The male grunt announced. "I'm going to check out the modified sub in our hideout!"

"I'm psyched to see all the modding on the sub!" The female grunt expressed. Then they disappeared, walking very fast.

"M-Modding? Those criminals… What are they planning to do with my Submarine Explorer 1?"

I slowly approached Captain Stern, getting ready to tell him all about their plan.

"Captain… I'm going to tell you something very important. I tried to tell this to the receptionist two days ago so the harbor's staff would be ready, but she wouldn't believe me!"

"I hear you." Captain Stern nodded.

I felt very tense, but I had to tell him everything. It was very important!

"Well, here it goes: remember what you said some minutes ago, about the underwater cavern in Route 128?"

"Yes."

"Well… Team Aqua needed your Submarine Explorer 1 to reach said cavern. And guess what they want to do there? Yes, awaking the pokémon who sleeps there… Kyogre." As soon as I finished speaking, the captain went pale.

"They can't be! They can't be after the super-ancient pokémon that slumbers at the bottom of the sea…"

"Yes… they are." I confirmed the obvious. Very nervous, the captain approached me.

"Emily… I'm sorry, but… My stolen submarine… It could bring an unimaginable disaster upon the world…" He was very afraid and nervous, as it's comprehensible.

"I'm fully aware of that and that's why I won't stop chasing Team Aqua, Captain!" I said trying to calm him down.

"Yes… go to their hideout in Lilycove and stop them! Please! I have no chance alone!" The captain begged.

"Of course I'm going to their hideout! That's exactly where I'm going now."

"But don't go alone! I can get you to Lilycove, where their hideout is…" The captain made a brief pause. It was evident that he felt very tense. "Do you think you and your pokémon can put a stop to them and save my sub from being used from evil? Please!"

"Count on us, captain! We will try to do as much as possible!" I assured as I gave him a pat on his shoulder.

"Thank you! We'll launch at once!" He whistled and a boat appeared.

It was much bigger than the one Mr. Briney used to take me to Dewford Town and Slateport City. I wondered how he and his Peeko were doing…

After a 20 minute trip, we made it to Lilycove City. The ride was peaceful, but I couldn't say the same about myself. I was mentally getting ready for what was about to come. It was clear that Team Aqua wouldn't give the sub back so easily…

Once the captain announced our arrival to Slateport's harbor, he asked me again to assure everything would be fine.

"Emily, please… Find my sub for me… I'll be heading back to the shipyard in Slateport to start dealing with the aftermath of all this…"

"Please, be careful captain!" I said as he got ready to ride on his boat again.

"I will. Please, be careful you too!" I gave him a reassuring nod and then I watched how his ship left.

Then I exited the harbor's building. I was beginning to realize that, although I didn't want to admit it, maybe it was true that the world's destiny was in my hands…


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Enemy territory**

I can say for sure that this was one of most intense days in my life. What you are about to hear sounds like it came straight from a movie, but all I will say is true and it actually happened to me and my pokémon!

The atmosphere in Lilycove City was very peaceful. No one was aware that their big city was home to a dangerous organization that was willing to disturb the sleep of a very powerful creature. I wasn't sure where should I head to because obviously, I had no idea where Team Aqua's hideout was. Heh, that was a very smart move from Archie. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to go to the east.

I rode my bicycle and I began to pedal towards that direction. And it turns out I took the correct direction because shortly after that, I came across a Team Aqua grunt. I had to sort some obstacles with my bicycle, but it wasn't very hard. Soon, I made it to the shore and I released Venus into the water so we could surf together. Near us, there was the entrance to a cave… and something told me that it was the place we were looking for.

"This is getting dangerous, girl!" I told my pokémon after taking a deep breath.

We entered the cave and I wasn't mistaken: right after making our entrance to the cavern, we were faced by a set of stairs and a huge flag with the Team Aqua logo on it. We were right in the Mightyena's den…

I surfed along with my loyal Venus the few meters that separated us from the floor and after arriving to firm ground, I returned my pokémon to her pokéball. The place made me feel very overwhelmed, the ground and the walls were made of black rocks, which made the sensation of danger even more intense.

I didn't want to be all alone in that place, so I decided to release Trevor from his pokéball. Once he came out from the device, I explained to him all about the situation.

"Trevor, we are in a very dangerous place. This is Team Aqua's hideout. They stole a submarine which will help them to reach the place where Kyogre… yes, KYOGRE, is sleeping. We must try to recover the submarine and return it to Captain Stern. Did you understand me?" Trevor nodded. "As you can see, this place is unnerving. I didn't want to be alone and that's why I got you out from the pokéball."

After that, he gave me a reassuring glance, like if he was saying "Everything will be okay." Next, we climbed the black stairs that were sitting in front of us. A path made of concrete led us to another entrance, which was right under Team Aqua's flag. Only Arceus knew what awaited us behind that door…

And behind that entrance, there were more stairs. After climbing all the way up the stairs, we came across something a bit strange.

There was a green light in the floor, but it looked like… it was meant to stand on it. We walked more and we found another one at the end of an aisle.

"Trevor, let's step on this thing."

He followed me and we stepped on the luminous platform. What happened next is unbelievable: that thing led us to another place. It was a teleporting platform! I couldn't believe that something like that actually existed!

We appeared in a new room. A Team Aqua grunt was standing in the middle. I knew that we wouldn't have any other choice than battling him. The man wasn't very happy to see me and said that we were two "suspicious characters". Luckily, we defeated him and his two pokémon in the blink of an eye. Trevor could do the entire job.

Another grunt was standing there, but he didn't see us. We spotted another teleporting platform and like we did the last time, we stepped on it. This time it took us to a room with several beds. I guessed that we were in the place where the grunts sleep, because the beds weren't very "fancy".

After walking a bit more, we arrived to a room with a large white and blue table surrounded by several blue plastic chairs. There was also a fridge, several counters and an oven. Now we were in the place where the villains fed themselves. There were also two grunts, a boy and a girl. They talked about how eager they were to reach their goal of expanding the sea. Since there wasn't anything important or any clue about the submarine's location, we returned to the other room and we stepped again in the teleporting platform, returning to the area where we fought a grunt and we ignored another.

But this time, we couldn't avoid him. The grunt in question was standing next to a set of stairs which led to a lower floor, but defeating him wasn't too hard. I could continue my journey through Team Aqua's hideout along with Trevor in no time! In this occasion, the stairs led us to a room that looked very interesting: there were several computers and three huge screens. Also, there was a strange machine. Maybe we would find a clue regarding the submarine's location…

Standing in front of the three screens, there was a man in a white coat. I wanted to approach him but first, I had to fight against yet another soldier. Trevor and Berry where the ones who defeated the grunt's pokémon, allowing me to approach the scientist. But first, I wanted to take a closer look at the machine.

Apparently, the machine was used to irradiate a meteorite with lasers. It looked like the experiments were being conducted just until that moment. The surroundings smelt like something burned. Did the scientist see me, and then turned off the machine?

Apparently yes, since said scientist suddenly began to talk, mildly scaring me.

"Meteorites… Natural energy… Super ancient pokémon… Here, we're conducting experiments to understand how they all relate and create a blue orb artificially."

"An artificial blue orb? Are you crazy?!" I said raising my voice a bit too much.

"Don't worry, we haven't had much success. It may be too difficult for humans to solve."

"Well, do you know where the submarine is?" I asked right when he finished his last sentence.

"Submarine? No, I'm not telling you that, sorry!"

I gave out an annoyed sigh, a gesture that Trevor mimicked right after. It was evident that the surroundings were overwhelming him as well. We just wanted to get out of that place as soon as possible…

We walked past the scientist, climbing some steps that led us to a new teleporting platform. We ended up in a room that seemed like a library and yup, I wasn't wrong…

"Hey, you two! N-no, no, no!" It was another scientist and he looked very upset. "This is Team Aqua's library, where documents on our highly confidential plan are stored. No outsiders are allowed to enter."

I sighed as I shook my head. I didn't need to read any document; I already knew what they were up to. Right in front of one of the shelves there was another platform. I stepped on it along with Trevor, hoping that it would finally take us to the room where the submarine was, but it took us back to the room where the laser machine was. Luckily, we saw another platform in front of us. I stepped on it, along with Trevor, hoping that it would finally take us to the room where the submarine was. I was getting tired of going back and forth with no result!

But it only took us to an aisle with another platform at the end of it. I sighed exasperatedly, to which Trevor responded by patting my shoulder trying to comfort me. I thanked him for the gesture and once more, we stepped into the other teleporting platform. This time we arrived to a bedroom, it had a shelf full of pokémon magazines, a computer with nothing important on it and a picture of two teenagers who resembled Archie and Shelly, they were with a pokémon I never saw in my life… Anyway, I decided to move on. Again, I didn't find anything important! But don't worry, things get interesting from there!

Eventually, we made it to another room similar to the one with the computers and the laser machine only that this room didn't have any computers and instead of a laser machine, there was a platform where a diving suit was standing. There also was a scientist contemplating the suit. I decided to approach him and try to talk; maybe he had some information regarding the submarine!

"Hi, may I ask what that is?" I asked politely.

"That is the Aqua Suit! It's the fruit of the collaboration of Devon's and our science and technology."

I contained a gasp. Collaboration between Devon and Team Aqua? Devon, the same company which was owned by Steven's dad? "There must be an explanation!" I said to myself, so I asked the man to tell me more.

"If not for Shelly, who used to work for Devon, the invention would have never been materialized." This time, I couldn't dissimulate a relieved sigh. I gave a quick glance to Trevor, so he could know I was fine. He was aware of how I felt about Steven and obviously, knowing that his father helped a criminal organization could have changed the way I saw him.

I approached the suit to take a better look, it looked very resistant. What I didn't know is that I would end up wearing it, but that is a story for another moment…

I am aware that this is getting a bit boring, so I'll spare you the unimportant details. I'll just tell you that eventually, we made it to a room where apparently, the suit used to be tested. There was a machine with a list of actions that went like "Give it a walloping, throw a lot of weight on it, wring it tightly, drop it from really high up, burn it severely" and several other commands whose purpose was to test the durability of the suit. If the costume could endure all that, then it meant it was very resistant!

Then, after going back and forth through several rooms we already saw, we arrived to a room where we found something very interesting: after being attacked by several Electrode (of whom Trevor got rid in no time) we found an attention-grabbing item: it was a pokéball. You might be saying "What can be so special about a pokéball?" Well, that device didn't look like any other pokéball I saw before. It was purple and white, with a pink circle on both sides of the superior part and a letter M on the front. I put it on my bag, knowing that I would need it on the near future…

And finally, we arrived to the place we were looking for ever since we entered the hideout. Yes, we finally made it to the submarine's room! We could already see it: it was modified so it looked like a Sharpedo, which I can say it's like the team's mascot or something. Certainly, Captain Stern wouldn't like what they did to it…

Before being able to approach it more, I had to fight with five grunts at the same time. It was a very exciting battle, although it didn't last long. They all had relatively young Poochyena, defeating them was almost a pity. I even could see how Trevor hesitated a bit before hitting them… And after that, the moment of truth arrived.

Matt was standing in front of the submarine and facing the wall but soon, he noticed both me and Trevor.

"Oh! I knew you'd come! And with a bodyguard, no less!"

"I'm glad to see you again, Matt." I declared sarcastically. We approached him, knowing that he wouldn't let us take the submarine easily.

"You're the first punk ever to sneak into this hideout and make it this far! I expected nothing less from a crumb like you!" Matt said with his habitual attitude.

"I'm much more than a crumb. I've been through a lot of things along with my pokémon, and the secret base of an evil team is not enough to stop us!" The courage in me was strong this time…

"Ho ho, calm down punk! I've got some bad news for you! We already completely finished upgrading the ship!" Matt turned his back on me, facing the submarine. "Look at that drill! As long as we've got that thing, we could KO the seal over the Seafloor Cavern with one punch! My bro Archie's in the ship!" Then he turned around and faced me again. "Come at me! If you take me out fast, you might be able to catch up to him!"

"Okay… I'm ready!" I defied him while making a gesture, prompting Trevor to approach me.

"Before you do, though… We need to settle once and for all who's stronger, you and your sorry pokémon, or me and my not-so-sorry pokémon!" Then Matt left out a battle cry. "Hooo! Haaa! I'm heating up!" He paused and then… "Hooah! Full on! I'm burning up! Me! You! Pokémon! Mixing it up! Dueling! Let's battle out until we've got nothing left!"

"I tell you, we will battle with all our strength, we will use all the experience we accumulated through the days, weeks and months that we spent together! Go on, Trevor!" I cheered up my starter pokémon, getting him ready for the upcoming clash.

"Go Sharpedo! Teach 'em what we're made of!" The ferocious water and dark type made his appearance. Maybe there was only one pokémon to beat, but that didn't make the battle any less intense.

"Trevor, use leaf blade with all your strength!" Luckily, the other battles didn't tire him very much. Trevor ran towards Sharpedo at an incredible speed and then slashed him with an equally high energy. Trevor was willing to attack with all of his strength, even if I didn't tell him to do so. Like me, he was aware that this was a very important battle.

"Impressive, like always! Sharpedo, bite him with all your might!" Sharpedo swiftly moved towards Trevor and trapped him between his jaws. I suffered seeing Trevor struggling to free himself from such a ferocious grip.

"Matt… Won't you tell your pokémon to stop?"

"No, he's not using all his power. If he did, maybe your pokémon would be divided in half by now." His voice sounded eerily calm. After a while, Matt decided it was enough. "Sharpedo, stop!" The blue and white pokémon hesitated a bit before releasing Trevor. I could see very clearly some bite marks on Trevor's left side. It was horrifying…

"Trevor, now use gigadrain!" It was a bit hard for him due to the pain caused by his wounds, but he finally could carry on with the attack. A beam of green light went from Sharpedo to Trevor, which caused him to regain most of his energy. That also made the bite marks disappear.

"Sharpedo, use slash now!" The dual typed pokémon used his upper fin to slash Trevor with no mercy. It was clear that this battle had nothing to do with the other ones I already had with Matt. The hit sent Trevor to the floor.

"Trevor, use dual chop!" After getting back on his feet, Trevor attacked Sharpedo by hitting him twice with his tail. Two strong blows that sent Sharpedo across the room. Matt didn't seem to be very worried.

"Sharpedo, get back there and use poison fang!" The pokémon came back as fast as he could and once he reached Trevor, Sharpedo dug his fangs, which were glowing purple, on my pokémon's right arm, nearby the armband where the mega stone was embedded. Thank Arceus, he didn't break it. But what concerned me was Trevor; he was feeling weaker and weaker as seconds passed by. "Okay Sharpedo, it's enough!" I left out a relieved sigh, but Trevor was poisoned. Luckily, I had an antidote on my bag!

"Trevor, use gigadrain again!" Trevor absorbed part of Sharpedo's energy again. The battle was about to end, but Matt still wanted to fight until the end, as it's understandable.

"Sharpedo, it's time to use ice fang! But do it with all your might!" In the blink of an eye, Sharpedo was attached to Trevor, biting him as an icy mist came out of the dual typed pokémon's mouth. Once again, Trevor was suffering beyond words. As you can imagine, seeing my pokémon like that was terrible. That's why I decided that it was time to tell Trevor to defend himself.

"Trevor, use fury cutter NOW!" Trevor's position allowed him to move easily. He raised his left arm and, as the leaves on his wrists glowed red, Trevor slashed repeatedly at his opponent until he left go. And guess what happened? Yes, Sharpedo finally fainted!

I hugged Trevor, congratulating him for his victory. Trevor hugged me back and then, I cured him and I decided to return him to his pokéball. He needed to rest a bit. That was a short but intense battle!

"Oho! That hurt as much as I figured!" Matt said as he returned Sharpedo to his pokéball. I responded with a prideful smile. The battle left him exhausted "Hah… hah… hah… Sis! It's all… on you… now…" And then…

…I witnessed along with Matt, how the submarine sank in the water. I totally freaked out.

"NO MATT, NO! YOU ARE A LIAR! AARGH!" I was about to hit him, I was out of control, but he stopped me by grabbing my wrists. And yes, he hurt me. Matt is as strong as he appears to be.

"That's cute, little girl! Trying to hit me… Ha! While we were battling it out…" Matt explained as he slowly left me go. "…my bro Archie finished getting ready. I have only one hope… For my bro Archie to finish what he set out to do… That's all…" And then, I discovered a new Matt… "My bro Archie is everything to me… I like to serve my bro…"

"Matt…" I was surprised by what I just heard.

"All right, then. You took me out, so I'll give you an idea of what the world will be like if my bro has his way."

"Go ahead." I said quietly.

"My bro Archie is headed for the big blue sea that stretches out from Lilycove City. Deep beneath the surface is the Seafloor Cavern. That's where the world my bro hopes to create… Where the beginnings of the primordial world will be felt… Regular people and pokémon can't make it there, though." He paused. "How could you get there…" What, he was going to help me?! "Why don't you look around in towns by the sea and use your own thick head to think about it?" Oh well… That would have been strange!

I nodded and I proceeded to leave but then, I ran back to where Matt was.

"Matt…I'm sorry for trying to hit you earlier." I left before he could say anything.

Once again, many different thoughts clouded my mind. I had so many things to think about and now I had to be a detective! I felt like crying, I could have never imagined that I would have to go through something like that. But that was my reality…


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: LOST**

The sea that stretches out from Lilycove City. Seafloor Cavern. Route 128. Underwater cavern. Those were just a few of the things that ran through my head at that moment. Matt told me to investigate by myself how to get to Seafloor Cavern but, how? I felt so stressed out, I couldn't even think properly. I would sometimes find myself in some sort of a catatonic state; maybe what I was experiencing was too much for me. But I wanted to go through, I had to try and solve that!

I spent two days in Lilycove City, resting a bit and trying to gather some information. I asked people about Seafloor Cavern, but they would only talk about things I already knew. I also tried to ask them about Route 128's location, but they gave me very vague directions. I had no other choice than move on to Mossdeep City, where the next gym is. Maybe people would be able to give me better information there!

On the third day, I decided to head to Mossdeep. Around ten o'clock in the morning, I released Venus from her pokéball.

"Venus, we are going to take a ride!" She was very happy with the idea!

We surfed past the entrance of Team Aqua's hideout, the root of all my problems… and if they finally got their way, it would also be the root of the problems of the entire world. The situation was getting critical; they might reach Seafloor Cavern at any moment.

The day was sunny and warm, and that made me feel slightly better, but it didn't make the anxiety go away. I was thinking, what if Team Aqua gets to sink the whole world? What would happen to my parents? What would happen to Steven? What would happen to my pokémon? I wanted to cry at the mere thought of something bad happening to them…

In order to try to ease my mind, I consulted my map. According to it, Mossdeep City wasn't too far away, so I told Venus to continue. Anyway, I wasn't going to the gym that same day, I would wait to the next day because the trip would tire me out. But what I didn't know is that it would tire me out more than I expected…

After a while, we finally saw land.

"Good, we are finally arriving!" I cheered Venus. She moved a bit faster.

Once we arrived to the shore, I thanked Venus for carrying me and I returned her to her pokéball. I was decided to go and reserve a room in a hostel but… I just saw a beach. Yes, there's also a beach in Mossdeep City, but it doesn't look like that one. The beach I ended up in was by far bigger. After walking around for a while, I finally realized what happened.

I GOT LOST!

The first thing I did was looking for somebody. I needed to ask how to get to Mossdeep City. Ah, getting lost. I knew it would happen eventually! Getting lost is perfectly normal, but it's always a very displeasing thing.

Finally, I found someone. There was young man walking around too, but he didn't seem lost, more like he was looking for something. I approached him.

"Hi! Can you tell me how…?"

"Shhhh!" He interrupted me. "I'm looking for her!"

"Uh… who is her?"

"Lisia! She's spending her holidays there, in that hotel!" He said pointing a small white building.

"Okaythankyoubye!" I said as I ran towards the hotel. Maybe Lisia could help me out!

But how to reach Lisia? Since she's such a celebrity, they wouldn't allow me to approach her so easily. So I invented something…

I approached the receptionist, trying to walk in a dainty manner. Once I approached the counter, I cleared my throat.

"Um, hi. Do you know where I can find Lisia?" I said faking a foreign accent.

"Oh, who are you?" The receptionist asked showing some wariness.

"Sir, I am Lisia's stylist. She called me an hour ago. Now, may I know where she is?"

"There, in the pool." He said pointing a glass door. Wow, I still can't believe I convinced him so easily!

I walked towards the door, still doing it with elegant little steps. Walking that way was a bit annoying since I wasn't used to stroll in that manner. That's why after closing the door behind me I went back to my usual way of walking.

Finding Lisia was very simple. Not spotting her was impossible, with that bright blue hair of hers! Of course, her inseparable Ali was also chilling at her side. I approached her carefully; I didn't want to startle Lisia! Although she might not remember me…

"Hi Lisia!" I greeted naturally.

Lisia turned around to see me. She was wearing huge sunglasses.

"Oh, hi! Do I know you?" Lisia answered enthusiastically as she got her sunglasses off.

"We met in Slateport City some time ago; you bought for me a ticket for a contest." I explained hoping that she would remember it. I needed someone that could tell me how to reach Mossdeep!

"Umm, Slateport City…" She thought hard for a minute or so. "Yes, you are the girl who never saw a contest! NOW I REMEMBER YOU!" Lisia exclaimed as she got up from the hammock all of sudden. "Your name is Elle, right?"

"No… It's Emily." I corrected her politely.

"Oh, right! Sorry Emily!"

"No problem!" I answered before smiling in a friendly way.

We remained silent for a few seconds before Lisia decided to talk again.

"What are you doing here? Are you on vacations?"

"No, I got lost…" I said shyly. "And I casually heard that you were here, so I thought that you could help me…"

"Oh I'm so sorry!" She responded dramatically. "Where were you going?"

"I was going to Mossdeep City. By the way, where I am?"

"This is Sunlight Shores. Many people like to come here for their holidays! Luckily, Mossdeep City isn't too far away!" Yes, good news!

"Great! Can you tell me how to reach Mossdeep City?"

"Of course! You just have to go left and then, go straight until you see a giant rock. Then, you have to turn right and keep going straight. Soon, you will make it to Mossdeep City." I thought she was over, but then Lisia boomed all of sudden "I'M SO GLAD I CAN BE HELPFUL TO YOU!"

"Y-you're welcome…"

Since I already knew what I needed to know, I told Lisia that I would be going. But she wasn't willing to let me go so soon…

"Oh no! Why don't you stay here for a little while? We can supper together! Bring your pokémon out too!" She was so enthused I couldn't say no…

"Alright! I will stay." I said as I got ready to send out all of my pokémon.

"By the way, are you in a hurry?" Lisia asked as she sat at the hammock.

"Umm, no. It's fine." I blatantly lied. Of course I was in a hurry! Team Aqua could reach Seafloor Cavern at any moment. But I didn't want to be rude to Lisia…

"COOL! Wait a minute; I'm going to order our food. What would you like?"

"A pizza, please."

Lisia nodded and then left the place. I was left there with Ali, my pokémon and a few other people who were either swimming in the pool or relaxing in the hammocks. And now something funny: before I could realize, I couldn't see Ali. I was about to begin to call for him, when I saw Ali hanging out with Cloudia! Heh, they looked so cute together!

Lisia returned soon. She also saw our pokémon playing together.

"OOH LOOK! I think they like each other!"

"Yes, I think so!" I giggled softly.

"Oh yes, our meals will arrive soon." Lisia informed me.

"They are bringing food for our pokémon, right?" I asked.

"Of courseeee! We won't let our pokémon starve!" She answered cheerfully.

I sat in a hammock next to her. We began to talk about random things. I asked her at what age she began participating in pokémon contests. Lisia told me that she had her first contest ever at ten years old. By that time, Ali was a young Swablu. Then she asked me why I decided to go on my journey so "late". I explained that I wanted to finish my studies and raise a little bit of money before that. Lisia said that I did right.

Soon after that, two waiters brought our food. They served it with a huge parsimony, like if we were queens or something. They served the food to our pokémon in the same way. It was pretty amusing, to be honest. As we had supper, Lisia continued to talk to me.

"Tell me, you are going to Mossdeep City to earn you next badge, right?" Lisia asked with her mouth full of food. Ah, Lisia can be a bit childish sometimes!

"Yes! Then I will just have one more badge to go!" I answered excitedly.

"You know that the last gym is located in Sootopolis City, right?" I nodded. "Well, the gym leader IS MY COUSIN!"

"That's interesting!" If her cousin had such a bubbly personality too, then our battle would be really entertaining!

Talking with Lisia was really nice, and watching how my pokémon played around the pool was also very entertaining. Venus even got herself in the pool; luckily, none of the swimmers seemed to mind. And going back to what I was saying, although I was having a good time, I decided that it was time to leave for Mossdeep City for once and for all.

"Lisia, I had a really good time but I think it's time to leave." I announced.

"Ooooh it's a pity! But I don't want to retain you further."

"Don't say that, it sounds like I'm there against my will when I'm actually having fun!"

"Aww, thank you! But before you go, I want to give you something." Then Lisia proceeded to look for something in her light blue beach bag. After a few seconds, she came back with an object I was already familiar with: a mega stone. "This is an Altarianite. Since I don't need it because I already have one for myself, I think it would be cool if you had it."

"Aww, thanks a lot Lisia! It will come in handy."

"Well, I guess it's time to say good bye so… good luck with the next gym!" Lisia cheered.

"Thank you, good luck to you with your next contests! Bye!"

"Bye!"

As I left the place, I giggled while I thought Josh's reaction when I tell him that I spent the day with Lisia!

And as I left the hotel, I also thought about how much I wanted to reach Mossdeep City. Not only because of the gym battle, but also because I desired to know for once and for all where Seafloor Cavern was.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Apocalypse why**

When I thought that the day would be perfectly normal, I made a huge mistake. Nothing could prepare me for what I would be living several hours later… But first, let's talk about what happened earlier that day.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, I exited the pokémon center in which I was staying and I headed towards the gym. I and my team were very happy knowing that we would be facing the penultimate gym leader before being able to take in the Pokémon League's challenge. We were determined to win and move on as soon as possible! But before entering the gym, I came across someone I already knew very well, Josh.

"Hi Emily! Are you going to fight the gym leaders?"

"Hi Josh!" I paused after I realized that he talked in plural. "Wait… the gym leaders?

"Yes, gym leaders! Didn't you know it? This gym is managed by not one, but two leaders! They are twins, a boy and a girl." He explained.

"Wow, I had no idea that there could be two leaders at the same time! Then I guess it will be a double battle, right?"

"Exactly! Look, I already fought them." Josh said as he shown me his badge case, in which there were already seven badges.

"I guess that their badge is that heart shaped one, right? It's so cute!" I exclaimed.

"You guessed right! Ah, I have something to tell you." Josh said happily.

"Yes?"

"Remember about what I told you about feeling pressured by my parents?" I nodded. "Well, a couple of days ago I talked to them and they said that they didn't want to make me feel bad, their only intentions were helping me to have a good future. They even told me that I could stop the journey if I wanted to!"

"But you won't stop, right?" I asked as I cocked an eyebrow.

"Of course not! I love traveling alongside my pokémon. Plus, we already went very far, we can't stop now! My parents also told me that they would respect any of my choices." Josh smiled. Wow, he was very different from the Josh I met the first day of my journey!

"And what about your sister?"

"She wants to continue as a coordinator as well! She's doing pretty well."

"I'm glad to hear that!" I made a brief pause. "Well Josh, I will enter the gym. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck! Oh, and the next time we meet, it will be battle time!" He said as a good bye.

"That's for sure!" I answered before entering the gym.

Once I was in, a strange sensation surrounded me. It was almost like… a mystic experience. Maybe the fact that I was in a psychic type gym had something to do with it! The twins were standing in a floating platform, to which I acceded through a glowing path that made me levitate my way up to the stand. Yes, I LEVITATED. And that's not the most incredible thing that happened that day!

"Hi! I'm there to challenge you." I greeted them as I do with all the gym leaders.

"Heh heh heh..." The boy, who had green stars on his suit, laughed.

"Tee hee hee…" The girl, who had pink stars on her suit, laughed as well.

Then they talked at the same time. "Were you surprised that there were two gym leaders? We're twins!"

"Actually, I already knew it." I declared.

"Oh, you ruined the surprise!" The girl exclaimed.

"Anyway, we don't need to talk because…" The boy, whose name is Tate, started a sentence.

"…we can each tell…" Liza, the girl, continued with the phrase.

"…what the other is thinking…" Tate went on.

"…all in our minds!" Liza finally finished the sentence.

"This combination of ours…"

"Can you beat it?" Liza questioned.

"I will do my best!" I answered as I reached for Trevor and Venus's pokéballs.

After that exchange, the twins performed a little dance before throwing their pokéballs, which marked the battle's start. Their pokémon were a Lunatone and a Solrock. Aside from psychic types, these pokémon are also rock types, which meant that the battle wouldn't be too hard.

"Go, Trevor and Venus! This battle will be easy!" I encouraged them. The twins attacked first.

"Lunatone, use psychic on Trevor!" Liza commanded to her pokémon. The moon shaped pokémon's eyes glowed blue and then Trevor became outlined in the same color as he was lifted into the air.

"Solrock, use solar beam on Venus!" The top of the head of Tate's pokémon glowed white as the energy gathered in that point. Then, a white ball appeared in front of the sun shaped pokémon and after that, a white beam was fired from the ball. Venus was instantly knocked down, since it was a super effective move. Maybe having her battle Solrock wasn't a good idea, but I wanted to give her another chance. Then it was our turn.

"Trevor, release yourself and use leaf blade on Lunatone!" After struggling during several seconds, Trevor could release himself from the energy that kept him floating in the air. Right after that, he jumped towards Lunatone and slashed him with the leaves on his wrists. The attack did a big deal of damage. Then I told Venus to use aqua tail on Solrock. She stuck her tail out and a spiral of water spun around it. Then, that spiral impacted against Solrock and sent it against the wall.

"Lunatone, use light screen!" Lunatone's eyes glowed bright blue as a glass well appeared in front of it and its ally, softening the hits they would receive.

"Solrock, use rock slide on Venus!" Solrock's body glowed white as several large boulders appeared. Then, those boulders fell on Venus, which made her a bit dizzy since one of them impacted on her head. "Is she okay?" Tate asked concerned. I examined Venus closely and she seemed alright. Anyway, I used a superpotion on her just in case.

"Okay, Trevor use dual chop on Lunatone! Venus, you are going to use aqua ring on Solrock!" Trevor attacked his opponent successfully, but Solrock avoided Venus's attack under its trainer's command.

"Lunatone, use hypnosis on Trevor!" The eyes of the psychic and rock type pokémon glowed blue as multicolored waves were shot out of them, putting Trevor in a trance. I wasn't sure if I had an awakening in my bag or not… Meanwhile, Tate's pokémon used his next attack on Venus.

After listening to its trainer's order, Solrock used psychic on Venus. Its eyes glowed blue as Venus became outlined in the same color. Then, Solrock proceeded to drag her around the gym as if Venus was a rag doll. When Solrock got tired of that game, it left Venus fall abruptly to the floor.

"Venus, use water pulse on both Lunatone and Solrock!" As soon as she got recovered from the fall, a large ring of water appeared around Venus's body and then it expanded, hitting the two opponents at the same time.

Meanwhile, I rummaged in my bag for an awakening. Luckily, I had two left. I used one in Trevor, making him snap out of his trance almost immediately.

"Alright, Trevor! Now use leaf blade on Lunatone!" The four leaves on his wrists glowed light green as they formed into two. Then, he slashed Lunatone until the dual typed pokémon fainted. Now they only had Solrock left! "Venus, use dragon tail!"

"Solrock, use solar beam on Venus!" Tate commanded enthusiastically.

"Venus, dodge that attack and keep going!" Although she almost got hit, Venus could avoid the attack. Her tail was glowing light blue as she hit Solrock with it, finally defeating the dual typed pokémon. Yes, the seventh badge was already ours!

"Our… our…"

…teamwork." The twins mumbled.

"It can't be helped, you won." Tate said.

"So take this in recognition!" Liza exclaimed as she handed the heart shaped badge to me. It looked even prettier now that I had it in my hands! "Now you can also dive with your pokémon!" Liza informed excitedly. That would be cool! And either way, I would have to do it in no time…

"It looks like the bond between you and your pokémon is by far stronger than the bond we share as twins…" Tate spoke. "But you'll go on from here to form even more bonds! That's the future I see for you!"

"There may be a harsh ordeal ahead for you and your pokémon…" Liza continued. I started to sweat a bit. "But that's all right! You and your pokémon aren't alone! You have each other! That's why we want you to face whatever troubles may come your way head-on and full of courage!"

"That's what we will do, I swear!" I exclaimed before saying goodbye to the twins. Then I walked towards the door, ready to exit.

And as soon as I stepped out of the building, things started to get very serious…

A sudden earthquake shook the whole area. I had to put my back against the wall to keep myself from falling. There also was a deafening noise, like if the very core of the Earth was being shattered. "The core of the Earth is being shattered." Right at that moment, I finally realized what was happening. I covered my mouth to contain a frustrated scream.

Then I saw how a huge column of green light rose towards the sky. Immediately, I saw how a huge group of people stood there, asking themselves what was that column of light that went from the sea to the sky. And between the people, I could see Steven. I felt so relieved to see him there; I needed someone to talk to… But the voice of a young girl snapped me out of my thoughts.

"That direction… Is that the direction of Route 128?" That was the final proof. Team Aqua opened the seal of the Seafloor Cavern. Now things could only get worse.

"This is the end of the world!" An old man echoed my exact thoughts. I couldn't help but having negative thoughts…

All the people were hysterical: a mom ran away with her two children in her arms, a young woman tried to calm down her Skitty… It was apocalyptic. Just then, Steven noticed me. I saw how he ran towards my direction. As for me, I couldn't move from my spot. I felt like if I had blocks of concrete attached to my legs.

"Emily!" Steven started talking as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "I heard from Liza and Tate that you visited their gym. I was thinking of trying to catch you while you were in the area, but then this happened."

"D-did you s-s-see it?" I babbled as I stared blankly into his eyes, referring to the pillar of green light.

"Yes… we should talk. Let's go to my place." He knew as much as I did that the situation was critical.

"Wait, you live over there?" I asked snapping out of my state of astonishment. Steven was taking me to his house, but that was the last thing that occupied my mind.

He didn't live too far away. We walked as fast as we could, since my legs still felt weak. I didn't tell Steven anything since I didn't want to worry him. The house wasn't too big or too small. I guess it was okay for the son of the boss of a huge company... The inside was decorated with good taste… although numerous glass cabinets with different stones inside occupied most of the room he took me to. Steven gestured me to sit on a chair as he sat in front of me. Many terrible thoughts raced through my mind, I tried my best not to cry…

"Ah… yes… I suppose I should welcome you to my home. Please forgive the rather sparse décor…" Steven apologized.

"It's all okay." I assured trying to maintain my composure.

"Now, where to begin… Let us take a moment to understand what is happening to our world right now." Steven started to talk. "That rumbling that shook the earth just now… The eardrum-rupturing explosion we heard… They are proof that a seal, which was long hidden deep undersea, has been undone at last."

"I already imagined that." I answered as I lowered my head, trying to hide from him my watering eyes.

"The super-ancient pokémon that has been sealed deep beneath Route 128 since ancient times… It slept until now in the Seafloor Cavern."

"I already knew that too." I muttered.

"The entrance to that cavern was sealed by the power of a certain pokémon, all in effort to keep any human or pokémon from ever breaching it. But now it appears that the scheming of that terrible team has undone the seal. There is no doubt that they intend to revive the super-ancient pokémon." Steven made a brief pause before continuing. "And once they do, it seems they hope to make its power their own." Then he paused again. "Emily… If that team obtains the power of the super-ancient pokémon, it will upset the balance of nature in this world. A crisis unlike any other before it will befall every living thing on this planet."

"AND YOU THINK I DIDN'T KNOW ALL THAT ALREADY?" I yelled as I finally left myself go. I was a teary mess, the tears clouded my sight and I couldn't stop sobbing. "What will happen to my parents? What will happen to my pokémon? What will happen to YOU?" I cried before covering my face with my hands, muffling a scream.

And then, I felt how Steven hugged me, trying to calm me down. I hugged him back, still trapped in that emotional meltdown.

"Emily, listen…" Steven whispered. "We can still do something. We can help each other to try to stop these team's mad ambitions. With you and I and our pokémon all working together, we will overcome this disastrous turn of events."

"Do you think it will be possible… to stop them now?" I asked as I slowly calmed down. Having him so near sure helped me feel better.

"Trust me, there are possibilities. What you have to do now is diving to the ocean floor with your pokémon. Oh, and take this so you can stay with your pokémon even in the depths of the ocean." After undoing the hug (not without making sure I was feeling better) he gave me a scuba mask and a snorkel. I put the two things in my bag. "If you were to use dive in the correct stretch of water along Route 128, I believe you should be able to reach the entrance to the Seafloor Cavern. I will join you when I finish my duties. Please do what you can to stop Team Aqua and Team Magma until then. I trust you to do this for me!"

"I promise I won't fail you… I will do everything I can." I promised as I managed to hint a smile.

"Please, be careful out there, Emily." Steven pleaded. I responded raising my thumb, to which he responded doing the same.

When I exited Steven's house, I realized that things were even more serious than I imagined. Now not only I had to try and stop Team Aqua before it was too late… if it wasn't too late already. Now I also had to try to not disappoint the person I am in love with…


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Together we're better**

As I walked towards the beach in Mossdeep City, it started to rain. It was just a slight drizzle at first, but soon it turned into a downpour. I released Venus into the water as I told her that we were going to Route 128. I checked the place's location in the map, which caused the paper to get soaking wet. The letters were illegible, I couldn't use it anymore. Luckily, I could memorize the way to Route 128.

Eventually during the way, my worst nightmare came true: thunders started to be heard. I was getting really agitated and Venus was noticing it. I still remember the day she joined my team, there was a storm and I got a panic attack. I also remember that Steven was there to save me… Would that happen this time too?

As the thunders became even louder, Venus's body began to glow a vivid pink. I heard of that before: she was trying to calm me down by releasing a wave of energy. I managed to babble a "Thank you", since a knot in my throat kept me from vocalizing properly. Sadly, it wasn't enough to make me feel better. There I was, riding in the middle of a storm, searching for a submarine cave were a super-ancient pokémon was about to be awaken. Only Arceus knew what would happen if they succeeded…

We could see in the distance how several waves raised and crashed in less than fifteen seconds, the sea was getting really rough. What if Kyogre already woke up…? No, that would be impossible. The storm would be even worse, surfing would be totally impossible. I was asking myself if thunders could get any louder… And then one of my worst fears came true: I swear a thunder crashed like a hundred meters away from me. That's when everything started to get ugly for me.

My breath started to get erratic and my upper limbs were getting progressively rigid. Luckily, we were almost arriving to firm ground. That was the exact spot; we made it to Route 128! Once we reached the sand, I got off of Venus. With a lot of difficulty, I grabbed Venus pokéball from my bag. Before withdrawing her, I uttered:

"Venus, I don't want you to see me like this…" Then I pressed the button in the middle, making her disappear.

I really wanted to dive into Seafloor Cavern, but my condition kept me from doing so. Breathing was more difficult with each second that passed, and my arms were as stiff as two wood sticks. But the worse… the worse is that I was failing to the promise I made to Steven. Before collapsing to the floor, I started to cry again. I managed to fall on my left side, but that made my arm hurt an awful lot. "Who cares if it's broken, I'm going to die soon anyway." I said to myself as I fought to breath. My arms were not responding me, I couldn't see anything since I was crying heavily again, and I felt like I was running out of air.

"This is… the end." I whispered as I saw how thunders kept impacting in the sea, not too far away from me. And then… I heard a familiar voice calling for me…

"Emily!" I didn't see who it was until he kneeled by my side. It was Steven. I felt so relieved to have him there!

"Don't… don't leave me… die here." I babbled with difficulty.

"You aren't going to die… and I won't leave you there!" Steven said as he tried to make me sit. Considering how stiff I was from waist up, it was a bit difficult.

"D-do you… hate me?" I knew that I didn't have to waste my energy, but I really wanted to ask him that… I was afraid of hearing him saying "Yes"…

"No! Why would I?" He spoke softly.

"I failed… you." I mumbled as tears kept running down my face.

"You didn't fail me! I am the one who failed you, how didn't I remember this?" Steven raised his tone a bit as he hugged me tightly; he seemed to be upset with himself.

"Don't blame… don't blame yourself. Everybody forgets things."

"But why did I forget this? You are my friend and I should remember that!" Hearing him say I am his friend triggered a strange reaction on me. I slowly started to feel a bit better. Then he ended the hug, but without releasing me completely. "Can you squeeze my hand?" He asked. My arms were still numb, but I managed to reach for his hand. That was a small progress! "Very good!" He whispered.

As soon as I held his hand, I felt my breathing going steady progressively. I just forgot for a moment about what was going on around us, I felt so much better! Eventually, I felt strong enough to squeeze his hand. And then, I noticed that I could move my arms again… Only that my left arm hurt a lot. Steven noticed that.

"Are you okay?"

"When I collapsed, I fell on my side and well… I have hurt my arm." I said nervously. Now I could feel the pain and it was really intense.

"Let me see it…" He helped me to remove my jacket, which got dirty from the fall. And why wouldn't my arm hurt, if I had a huge bruise! It was as big as a tennis ball, I swear! To this day, it still hurts. "Wow, no wonder it hurts! Wait a moment…" Steven got a red handkerchief out from his pocket and the he soaked it in the water. After that, he tied it loosely to my arm. The water was very cold, which helped to ease the pain a bit.

"Thanks a lot." I murmured as I hugged Steven. It seemed that this time I caught him by surprise too, but he responded sooner than the last time.

"Anytime, let me tell you that you can always count on me." Steven whispered into my ear as he caressed my back. For a split second, I forgot we were in the middle of the storm, about to face a group of people who was ready to awake from its slumber a very powerful pokémon.

"You can count on me too… We will help each other." I said softly. After a few seconds, I separated a bit from him. "Steven, I'm ready to go to the Seafloor Cavern."

"Are you sure? Do you feel alright?" He asked concerned.

"Yes, I am ready for anything. If I endured this, I can endure everything! Especially if I have you at my side." I declared as I felt the courage running through my veins. Then, Steven helped me to get up.

"Well, then let's get ready! Who is taking us to the Seafloor Cavern?"

"Her." I said as I threw Venus's pokéball to the floor. Once she saw me, she looked very relieved. Venus was well aware that something was wrong with me when I withdrew her.

"Okay, let's put the scuba gear on." Steven said as he got ready. It didn't take us very long. We had to rush a bit, now it was a battle against time.

In less than a minute, we were already underwater. Steven sat behind me, as he encircled my waist with his arms. I remembered the day we went to that strange island, the same day I fell for him… Also, I noticed how he squeezed me lightly every now and then, like I did with him as we were riding Latios. Maybe he was just nervous.

It didn't take us long until we found the entrance to an underwater cavern. "This is it." I said to myself. Full of determination, I gestured Venus to swim towards the entrance. Once we entered, we found that we could reach the surface from there. Maybe this was what we were looking for… Once again, I gestured Venus to swim upwards. And after reaching the surface…

…we found Team Aqua's modified submarine right in front of us.

"Steven, this is the submarine they stole! That's how they managed to open the seal." I exclaimed, eager to let the water and look for that bunch of crooked individuals.

"I see… I'm sure they used that drill in the front." Steven guessed.

"That's right! Come on, let's go to the shore." Ten mere minutes before, I felt helpless and I was convinced that I was about to die but now, I felt like nothing could stop me.

Once we reached firm ground, I returned Venus to her pokéball and we got our scuba gear off. We walked through a door that led us into a cave. There were no Team Aqua members there. They surely were in another room.

It was full of boulders and I could see some moss in the walls and the sensation of humidity was very intense. At a given moment, I noticed Steven was no longer there. I got terribly worried.

"Steven, where are you?" I hollered. And shortly after that, he appeared.

"I'm sorry but… look what I found!" He said showing me a stone.

I frowned a bit "Steven, this is not the time!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry, it's fine." I assured calmly. Then we kept walking.

I eventually released Trevor so he could help us to move the boulders away. He has an incredible strength! To be honest, I was a bit nervous. I had no idea what we would find inside, what if Kyogre was already awake? What if we arrived too late? That was my biggest concern at the moment.

Unfortunately, we came across a couple of grunts. I told Steven to leave it to me; it wasn't too hard to make them bite the dust.

"I think your pokémon are great battlers!" Steven complimented me, making my cheeks turn red.

"Oh well… They were just grunts anyway." I said trying to play it down.

After that, we entered another room. There was a huge lake with very strong currents. We were more and more near. After going across it, we went into another room. This one was also full of boulders, moss and humidity. Oh, and another annoying grunt. Trevor defeated his pokémon all by himself. And then we entered yet in another room. This time, the huge boulders seemed to form some sort of a puzzle. Trevor was as exasperated as we were…

…until we found a room with a lot of steps, which led to a hole in the floor.

"Steven, I think we finally made it!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Great! Let me help you go down the stairs." Steven said as he reached his hand to me. I couldn't say no…

And we walked down the stairs like that, holding hands and being closely followed by Trevor. He was ready for the action too!

And no, I wasn't wrong: once we walked through the entrance, we saw Archie and Maxie arguing with each other.

"Urk…" Maxie grunted exasperatedly.

"Bwahahaha!" Archie's annoying laugh boomed in my ears. "You're looking pretty pathetic now, aren't you? The great Maxie!"

"Ugh… A-Archie… you…" Maxie was clearly very upset.

"Let's get closer." Steven whispered as he left my hand go.

We slowly walked towards them, and what I saw there is something that I will never forget: I could get a glimpse of Kyogre, who had no idea about what was going on around him.

A sound made me snap out of my thoughts: Maxie kneeled down before Archie, making him laugh hysterically. And then…

"Y-you, three…" Archie just noticed our presence. "Well, if it isn't my little adversary! And now she comes with company! I can't even find the words to praise you as you deserve." Archie smirked. "Sometimes it's best to keep things simple. All I'll say is you met my expectations, scamp! And I'm not talking just about today, but everything you've done up till now."

"It was… it is my responsibility to try to stop you and your team, Archie." I answered with a calm tone.

"Bwahahaha! That's why you'll get the honor of meeting my new partner before anyone else living in this world… The super-ancient pokémon… KYOGRE!"

An impulse told me to get closer. Now I could see it even better: that creature was still in a deep state of slumber. I kinda felt sorry for Kyogre… It wasn't his fault, after all. But I felt terrified at the same time.

"How 'bout that? That beautiful form so long resting at peace within the azure sea!" Archie exclaimed proudly.

"And… it wouldn't be better if you left that beautiful form to keep sleeping?" Steven questioned the leader of Team Aqua.

"NO! I've been waiting so long for this day to come." Archie yelled.

"You… I think you don't realize the consequences of all of this… And also… you took advantage of Devon Corporation! You used them to accomplish your goals!" Steven was getting angry, I never saw him like that…

And then, Archie started to walk towards him. I could tell he was furious; his tanned face was almost red.

"You… YOU ARE JUST A SPOILED RICH KID WHO THINKS THAT CAN GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING! I DIDN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR DADDY'S STUPID LITTLE CORPORATION! DO YOUR RESEARCH!" And after that, Archie grabbed Steven by the collar of his shirt, about to punch him.

At that moment, I snapped. I couldn't take that; I wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Steven! Before I could realize, I was running towards Archie. I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, forcing him to let Steven go. Then, I slapped Archie furiously and I kicked his shin a couple of times. And then he did something that caught me by surprise.

"Don't touch me, woman!" And he punched me in the gut, pushing me away and making me lose my breath momentarily. Soon, I had both Steven and Trevor at my side. I had to tell Trevor latter to calm down, since he was getting ready to attack Archie.

"How dare you hurt a woman? Have you no shame?" Steven yelled at Team Aqua's boss. Then, he changed his tone drastically to ask me "Does it hurt? Where did he hit you?"

"There…" I said putting my hand in the area below my diaphragm. "But it's okay… It doesn't hurt that much."

"Don't lie to me, okay? I don't want to see you hurt!"

"I promise it's alright! Don't worry." I answered as I stroke his cheek. And I swear I saw his face turning slightly red, but maybe that was just me…

And then, Archie continued with his speech as if nothing had happened. "We humans have disregarded pokémon and nature both in our endless pursuit of our own desires and needs…"

"Umm… Aren't you pursuing your own desires and needs?" I dared to ask. Archie turned around to see me: his face went pale and his eyes were wide open.

"SHUT UP, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING! Let me finish… SCAMP!" Archie spitted furiously. Again, he continued as if nothing had happened. "In the process, we've created this broken and disordered world… But this is the day when I finally obtain the power to return everything to how it once was, to return to our beginnings! Now that I can release that ancient power!" He made a dramatic pause… "The ancient power of primal Kyogre!" And then he turned around to face us. "I don't care about the rich kid. You, scamp, are the last token resistance that's trying to ruin my day."

And then, Archie did something I didn't expect, not even from him. He grabbed all of his pokéballs and released all of his pokémon at the same time.

"What are you going to do, Archie?" I asked feeling really uneasy.

"I'll use all means to stop you from stopping me; rules mean nothing to me right now!" Archie smirked in a way that made me want to slap him again.

"Okay, let's forget about rules. Trevor, come closer!" I said as I got ready to release the rest of my pokémon out of their pokéballs.

The most intense battle of my life was about to start…


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Mar brava**

All of Archie's pokémon stared at me as I was getting ready to release my own pokémon. A Mightyena, a Muk, a Crobat and a Sharpedo stood before me and I could see in their eyes their eagerness to fight. Archie had his eyes glued to me, observing all of my movements. Finally, I released my team from their respective pokéballs. They knew it was battle time, but not only that, they also knew it was a very important battle. This time, I could say for sure that mankind's future depended on the result of this fight.

"Four against six? And you own a legend?! Who's being unfair now, scamp?" Archie taunted me after scratching his nose.

"You said that we would forget the rules. Then let's do it!" I continued after a brief pause. "Go. Hit us with everything you have. We won't hold back either!"

"Fine! And one last thing… Did ya think that you and your pokémon are the only ones who can use mega evolution? Let me show you now what I didn't get the chance to show you at Mount Chimney… This is the true power of my team… GRAAAAAAAHH!" And with that terrific battle cry the fight started.

"OKAY, BRING IT ON! Trevor, MEGA EVOLVE!" I wasn't going to waste my time, that's why I told my ace to mega evolve as soon as the battle started.

And suddenly, someone whispered into my ear…

"Child, listen to me. Try to get rid of his mega evolving pokémon as soon as you can." Those words were uttered by Maxie who, after giving me that advice, walked towards a corner from where he witnessed the whole battle. I looked at Maxie as I nodded to let him know I understood what he said.

"Sharpedo… MEGA EVOLVE, NOW!" A key stone shone on the necklace Archie was wearing. Then, the energy that the key stone produced connected with the energy that emanated from Sharpedo's mega stone, exactly what happened with Trevor and me less than a minute before.

Now his Sharpedo looked way more ferocious than it usually does. His fangs were now sharper and his snout was longer. Also, a lot of yellow marks covered its body. But his appearance wasn't enough to intimidate us!

"As an apology for hitting ya earlier, I will let you start, scamp!" Archie said with an insolent expression.

"Fine! Trevor, use leaf blade on Sharpedo!"

"Sharpedo, use poison fang on Trevor!" Archie pronounced my pokémon's name with disdain. His snub made me angrier than I already was, but I kept my composure.

In a split second, Sharpedo was biting Trevor fiercely as his fangs glowed purple. Trevor was suffering beyond words…

"Trevor, try to release yourself from his grip and use gigadrain!" After some long seconds of struggle, Trevor freed himself from Sharpedo's vicious grip as a beam of green light went from the water and dark type to Trevor, making him regain part of his energy.

"Well done scamp! Now let the real fun begin! PIRATES, LASH OUT AT THIS SCAMP'S POKÉMON, THIS IS A BATTLE WITHOUT HONOR OR HUMANITY!"

"Guys, do the same! I count with each and every single one of you!"

And after these words were spoken, a battle unlike any other I've seen before started. Archie's pokémon were actually trying to do real harm to my pokémon. Of course, my team was defending itself. Grimer was using gunk shot on Trevor and Berry at the same time, while Alyx attacked the poison type using dragon breath.

"Archie, if you succeed and Kyogre wakes up, what are you going to do?" I asked as I observed with astonishment how our pokémon beat each other.

"Bwahahaha! I will enjoy the world I created. I will enjoy seeing how everything has returned to the beginning, and how everything will be much better!" Archie was really convinced of what he was saying.

"But, if there's so much water… How will people and pokémon move around? And where we will live?"

"That's why ships and submarines were invented! I already can see myself living in a huge submarine; I will make my home out of it!"

"Archie, you are insane!" Maxie protested from his corner.

"SHADDAP, MAXIE! No one gave you permission to speak!" Although Maxie also had terribly crazy ideas, I felt sorry for him at that moment…

"One more thing, Archie…" I muttered. "Look at how our pokémon are hitting each other. I think we should bring order to this battle."

"NO! You accepted my rule of NO RULES; we will leave it at that!" Archie hollered as he gestured his pokémon to keep going. That battle was an utter and complete mess… Although I observed that his Mightyena was already down. Only three pokémon left! Although Cloudia fainted too and Berry was very close to doing the same.

And then, I remembered what Maxie told me earlier. Now my priority would be defeating Sharpedo!

"Trevor, use dual chop on Sharpedo!"

"Sharpedo, use crunch!" Archie's voice boomed across the room. His voice alone would have been enough to wake Kyogre!

"Trevor, stop his attack and keep going with dual chop!" My starter pokémon stopped Sharpedo with his hands and then struck him twice using his claws. "Now Berry, use magical leaf on Sharpedo!" Despite being much weakened, Berry tried to perform the attack, not without tripping and falling before doing so. Luckily, she could hit Sharpedo successfully. Archie's mega evolved pokémon was already very weak.

"Aren't we having fun now?" Archie grinned. "Crobat, use acrobatics on Trevor!" Crobat flew at a high speed towards Trevor, but I wouldn't allow him to hit my pokémon.

"Trevor, dodge it and use dual chop!" Crobat's attack missed by a millimeter. Then, Trevor dove into Crobat as he hit him several times with his claws, which were glowing light green. I checked Venus to see if she was doing well. She was trying to get rid of Muk, which was being a bit difficult.

"Hershey, take care of that Muk! Venus, use ice beam on Crobat!" As soon as the poison type turned his attention to Hershey, Venus opened her mouth as a white ball formed in front of it. Then she released multiple light blue beams, which fulminated Crobat almost instantly. If he was that weakened, he didn't show it at all! "Oh wait, let me do something Archie!" I said as I grabbed a max revive from my bag, which I used on Cloudia. I didn't want her to miss the fun!

"I swear that if I had a revive, I would use it right now!" Archie complained loudly.

"Well, you should be more prudent as a trainer!" Now I was the one taunting him!

"Ugh… Anyway, Sharpedo, use crunch on Cloudia!" Since he was very weak, Sharpedo moved very slowly. His fangs glowed white as he bit Cloudia repeatedly, but the attack wasn't too intense. If it wasn't because it belonged to my enemy, I would have felt sorry for him!

"Cloudia, now it's your time to shine! Use dragon breath!" Cloudia exhaled a purple flame that impacted right in Sharpedo's face, finally making him faint. "Well done, Cloudia!" I hugged her once I confirmed that Sharpedo did actually faint.

And when I checked how Hershey was doing, I found out he managed to defeat Muk. Hershey stood besides the poison type with a proud expression. I scratched his head as I told him he did a great job. Great, we finally put a stop to Archie's plans! Or so I thought…

"Great job Emily!" Steven congratulated me after I withdrew my pokémon. I smiled at him with pride.

"Like I figured…" Archie mumbled as he returned his team to their respective pokéballs. Archie didn't seem to be angry at all, he started to act strange. "Hah… Hah… Ahh… Ah. Aha…"

"What's wrong, Archie?" I asked in a taunting manner.

"Ahahahaha… Bwahahahahahha! Bwaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!" I frowned heavily as Archie laughed like a maniac. "Perfect! You're just as great as any little hero trying to save the world oughta be! But it changes nothing!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Maxie, Steven and I asked at the same time.

"I can't give up now! I can't! I WILL use the power of this blue orb to awaken Kyogre at last! Then I'll return everything in this world to its original, pure state!" He did a small pause and then… "Now! AWAKEN, KYOGRE! RETURN EVERYTHING TO THE WAY IT WAS!"

"Archie!" A voice came from far away. A feminine figure approached us slowly. It was Shelly.

"Shelly?!" Archie exclaimed with his eyes open wide.

"That's enough! Can't you see that the world that you dream of and the world that Kyogre will create are two completely different places?!" Wow, I couldn't believe what my eyes where seeing: Shelly was trying to stop Archie!

"Shelly… I always believed that you at least would understand my dreams… But no! In the end, the only one I can depend on is you, Kyogre! Absorb all the power resting in this blue orb, and reclaim yourself!" And then, Archie got the eponymous blue orb out of his pocket. "Revert to your primal form! This is the time to take back the great evolution you lost in the ancient past!"

A small tremble shook the room as the blue orb in Archie's hands began to shine.

"Archie, you still can stop this!" Shelly tried to convince him once more.

"Please Archie, stop this! I beg you! You can't do this… I DEFEATED YOU!" I pleaded desperately but of course, he didn't listen. I was about to cry again. I think I cried too much that day…

After that, lots of boulders fell into the water around Kyogre as luminous cracks appeared all over his body. And then… That magnificent creature opened his ferocious yellow eyes and jumped from the water, showing to everybody there that he recovered his vital force as he made a loud, hoarse noise. The beast was finally awakened…

I was dumbfounded; I was amazed and terrified at the same time. The pokémon that shaped the ocean just woke up in front of me. I looked at him in the eyes and he didn't seem happy. Well, who's happy after being awakened all of sudden?

And then, things just got worse. After sinking into the water for a few seconds, a blinding blue light surrounded Kyogre; it almost looked as if he was being surrounded by a sapphire. I looked out of the corner of my eye at Archie, his victorious grin disgusted me. And right after that… a powerful column of water emerged from the spot where Kyogre sat. It was so intense that I had to move away a bit, the current of energy was terribly strong! And then…

…Kyogre jumped up, abandoning Seafloor Cavern. His cries echoed through the entire chamber and as soon as he emerged to the surface, I could hear how the rain intensified. It sounded like if the planet was breaking into a million of pieces. Only Arceus knew where he was going and what would happen... I just wanted to scream like I never did in my entire life…

"Bwahahahaha! At last… AT LAST! I've finally done it! It hasn't even finished reversion, and it still has this much power! With this I can return everything to its natural beginning! It's time at last! Listen to that deluge!"

"CAN YOU HEAR THAT ARCHIE, CAN YOU HEAR THAT? I HOPE YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE TO DROWN!" I felt out of control, but suddenly someone grabbed my arms from behind. I struggled to get that person away from me until I saw it was Steven. He just wanted to calm me down... But that was a very difficult thing at the moment. "Steven let me go; I swear I'm going to…!"

But he wouldn't release me "Getting upset won't fix anything. Please, calm down!" I had no other choice than listening to him and shut up as I observed how Archie celebrated his achievement.

"What… have you done…" Shelly was also dumbfounded.

And then… Archie began to talk on his own. Well not really. Apparently, he was talking with someone through an earpiece.

"What…? What do you mean far more than we thought?! It can't be… Then, if it completes its primal reversion… N-never mind that! Just keep an eye on it!" Archie was very upset. Clearly, something was wrong. Shelly approached him.

"Archie! What's going on outside?!" The black haired woman was very concerned.

"All that matters is… That I have used the blue orb to awaken Kyogre… And now, I will return this world to its natural state… The state that is best for pokémon!" I wanted to say something, but I bit my tongue.

"Archie." Team Magma's leader began to speak. "It appears you have made a grave error regarding Kyogre's powers."

"What… did you say?" Archie asked Maxie.

"The beginning that primal Kyogre brings about… The way it resets the world… It starts by driving every living thing on this planet to death first!" After Maxie finished that very sentence, I bursted into tears once more. Not even the fact that Steven was trying to calm me down could make me feel better. "This path only leads to an inescapable despair that cannot be withstood. That is all you have brought us. This is what comes of the madness of thinking that you could ever control the super-ancient pokémon's power!"

"See, Archie? Your beautiful new world… We are going to die! It backfired! IT BACK-FIRED!" I hollered once I felt a bit calmer. Archie just ignored me.

"I knew it… We just need to get out of here! Standing around complaining isn't going to solve anything!" Then Shelly turned around to face me. "You two! Well, hurry up!" And we all left the chamber following Team Aqua's administrator.

Shelly offered to take us back to the surface in Team Aqua's submarine, but I refused. I didn't want to share a vehicle with Archie. I went back to the surface of Route 128 with Venus and Steven. When we got there Archie, Shelly and Maxie were already there. The scenario was very ugly; the clouds were as black as charcoal and the rain… It was the most intense rain I saw in my entire life. Also, the thunders crashed against the sea making me want to freak out again. Luckily, this time Steven was at my side. He held my hand and every time a thunder crashed, Steven squeezed it gently. That made me feel incredibly safe.

"This… This is the…" Archie was dumbfounded as he complicated the heavy rain.

"How awful…" Shelly murmured.

"I… I only wanted… I wanted to make a… world where pokémon could live on… in peace…" I swear I was sure Archie was about to cry! "Where… that… pokémon…"

"Is this… is this the power of the super-ancient pokémon? Is this what Kyogre's power truly is? Is this how you return everything to its beginning?" Maxie wondered out loud. "The balance in this world is faltering. At this rate, it may be lost forever." Then Maxie turned around to face me all of sudden, making my heart skip a beat.

"You! We will make our way to Sootopolis. It is most likely that case that Kyogre is also making its way to that city. In the deepest reaches of the Cave of Origin, which lies in the heart of Sootopolis City… That is where Kyogre will find the energy it needs to reclaim its primal form."

"Cave of Origin…" I muttered softly as I processed Maxie's words.

"I expect Kyogre will go to that place in search of even greater power." He continued. "We must follow it to the Cave of Origin and do whatever it takes! There's nothing else we can do!"

"It's now or never!" I exclaimed after the loud sound of a thunder startled me. The courage was coming back… Then Maxie spoke to Team Aqua's boss.

"Archie! You and your team of fools will accompany us. We have brought this calamity upon ourselves. It is only right that we take responsibility and clean up after our mistakes." Those were some wise words, and they came from the leader of an equally crazy organization!

"Ugh!" Archie grunted.

"Let's go, Archie!" Shelly and Archie walked away leaving Steven, Maxie and I behind.

Team Magma's leader addressed both Steven and I.

"I feel I must apologize for the way things have turned out. I am truly sorry…"

"No Maxie, you don't need to be sorry. You didn't cause this." I manifested as I pointed towards the sky.

"Alright… But I must ask for your assistance, young woman. Won't you help us avert this crisis?" Maxie asked as he stared at me intensely. "If we work together, I believe we'll be able to overcome this ultimate threat."

I looked at Steven for a couple of seconds before answering. "Of course I will help you, but as a person, an individual! Not as a Team Magma member! Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, yes. I will expect your arrival in Sootopolis." And then he left very quickly, leaving Steven and I in the middle of that terrible storm.

"Well, it looks like we must go to Sootopolis by ourselves!" I sighed in a resigned tone. "Venus, this will be a bumpy ride!" I said as I released her into the choppy sea. Then I turned around to face Steven. "The sea is even rougher than before so, you better hold on to me as tight as you can!" Heh, the thought of having Steven holding me so close to him made me feel excited… but not as excited as the thought that, as I feared all that time, I would be the one saving the world.

Shortly after we began to surf across the rough sea, I saw a big figure jumping out of the water.

"Did you see that, Emily?" Steven asked as he tried to keep himself steady.

"Of course I saw it!" Then, I lowered my voice as I talked to myself. "I'm coming for you, Kyogre!"


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Primal Clash Pt.1**

The sea kept roaring around us as we tried to make our way to Sootopolis City. And I say "tried" because keeping ourselves steady was very difficult. Venus tried her best to swim against the current, but the waves kept sending us a few meters behind.

"So this is what was being depicted in that painting in the Granite Cave…" Steven muttered as Venus struggled against a wave.

"I could have never imagined I would witness it with my very own eyes!" I exclaimed after couching out some water that got into my mouth.

"If this doesn't stop, all Hoenn… No, the entire world will drown!" Then Steven paused a few seconds. "I'm sorry if I'm stressing you more than you are already"

"No worries! I already accepted this. Crying and lamenting won't stop the rain." Yes, that was me: the same girl who panicked upon being alone in the middle of a storm, the same girl who was convinced that was about to die under the rain.

"I like your attitude, but… I hope you aren't thinking something reckless."

"Heh, you never know what I am up to!" I joked as we went through a really big wave.

The more we approached to Sootopolis, the more intense the rain got. We had to get there before Kyogre arrived to the Cave of Origin, or things would get even more complicated that they already were!

But luckily, we made it to Sootopolis City. We had to dive into an underwater cavern in order to reach the city. And let me tell you, Sootopolis City is a stunning place! Everything is made of white rocks. And the houses have some gorgeous blue windows. I definitely liked the place! But now, let's move to the important subject, shall we?

Once we made it to firm ground, I returned Venus to her pokéball, but not without saying something first.

"Thanks for everything, Venus. You've been a great help, dear." Those words sounded like a farewell and at that moment, I was thinking that maybe it really was. What if the rain ended up killing everyone? What if I came across Kyogre and things went wrong? That made me feel sad again, but I didn't allow it to bring me down. It was time to be strong!

Suddenly, Steven told me to wait a minute. Then I saw him walking towards a blue haired woman, who saluted him very effusively. "Snap, I'm pretty sure that's his girlfriend." I thought at the moment. Yay, another reason to be upset! I saw how they looked towards my direction and Steven gestured me to approach them. "Ugh, he wants me to meet his girlfriend. Eh, I must be polite." I said to myself.

"Emily, you need to hear what my friend needs to say." Steven said as he moved away from that girl. But…

"My name is Wallace. I'm this town's gym leader." Wallace? Then… she is a he! Oh, I can be so stupid sometimes! I felt very relieved, hehehe.

"Nice to meet you, Wallace!" I never met a gym leader outside of the gym.

"Nice to meet you too, Emily!" Then Wallace continued talking "I've also been entrusted with the protection of the Cave of Origin. This downpour is being caused by a power emanating from the Cave of Origin." And, as soon as he stopped talking, a glow came from my bag… even thought it was closed. I could feel the energy emanating from it.

"Is that the red orb?" Wallace asked as his face showed surprise.

"Yes, it is. An elderly couple entrusted the red orb to me."

"I see. Follow me." Wallace prompted both Steven and I to walk behind him, but Steven stopped all of sudden.

"The rain clouds massing over Sootopolis keep building…" He thought aloud. "Soon they will extend all over Hoenn… If that were to happen…" And just then, a thought ran across my mind.

"Wait for me, I'll be back soon!" I said as I ran towards the pokémon center. I was about to fall a couple of times since the wet rocks were very slippery, but I didn't mind.

As soon as I entered, I prompted the nurse to cure my pokémon. Once she was done, I walked very quickly towards a phone station and I dialed my dad's number. After a few seconds, my mom appeared on the screen. Her eyes were red, it was clear that she had been crying too.

"Emily! Emily how are you doing hun?" Her voice also shown she was deadly worried.

"I'm alright… I had a very bad time but now, I feel determined. I'm going to save the world." I said with difficulty as a lump on my throat began to form. It hurt me seeing her like that!

"Please, tell me you are not alone!"

"No, I'm not. There's a friend waiting for me outside."

"Oh… Is Steven that friend you're talking about?" Mom asked changing her voice tone momentarily.

"Yes, he is. And also, I wanted to ask you a favor. I want you to take care of Alyx for a while." I said as I placed Alyx's pokéball in a space beside the phone, which would send her to my house.

"Why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure someone is gonna join my team in no time." After a few seconds in silence, I finally had the courage to ask her something. "Mom… where is dad?"

"He's outside trying to cover the plants. I told him to come inside but he won't listen… Oh, and here I have Alyx's pokéball!" Mom said as she shown it to me.

And then, I heard a familiar voice.

"Emily, is that you? I'm here!" It was my dad. He was soaking wet, as I was.

"Please dad, stay inside! Be safe please! Mom, dad… I love you!" I was about to cry as I said this.

"We love you too!" My parents exclaimed almost at the same time. And shortly after that, the signal was interrupted.

I hung up the phone as I wiped my tears away. When I left the building, the rain was even more intense. It took me a couple of minutes to find Steven and Wallace; I couldn't locate them until I heard Steven calling for me.

"Sorry…" I said once I reached them. "I just wanted to call my parents. And by the way… The rain has reached Oldale Town. We must act soon!"

And just after that, my phone rang.

"Who's speaking?"

"Emily? It's me, Josh! The rain is freaky!" I could feel in the tone of his voice that he was very scared. I never thought I would see… er, hear Josh being scared by something.

"I know, I know! Things are very ugly, but they can be fixed, I promise! I have some friends there willing to help me. I will do all I can to solve this! And if I don't see you again…" A lump settled in my throat again. "…I want to wish the best to you."

"Emily, you can do this! I know it! And now, you are going to go wherever you need to go to solve this… AND YOU WILL DO IT!" And I would have never imagined that Josh would be encouraging me. I think that now we aren't only rivals anymore, I can consider him as a friend too!

"Thanks a lot Josh! I will have it in mind." And then, I hung up. The moment of truth was finally approaching…

"Are your family and friends alright?" Steven asked as soon as I put the phone back in my bag.

"Yes, they will do good…" I was honestly afraid that it would be the last time I heard my parent's voice or Josh's voice, I wasn't sure how it would turn out but at the same time, something told me that I everything would be okay, that I'd have the ability to do it.

"Well, if everything is in order, let's keep going." Wallace prompted us to keep walking.

We reached a place which looked like the entrance to a bar or a restaurant, but nothing could be further from the truth. That was the entrance to the Cave of Origin… There was a canopy featuring some markings that I recalled seeing in Kyogre's fins. That was the place, no doubt. There was also an enormous door, a door that I would be crossing very soon. Oh, and guess who were there as well? Archie, the responsible of the disaster, his partner Shelly and Maxie, Team Magma's boss. They all turned around as soon as they heard our footsteps. I wasn't very happy about seeing Archie but, oh well!

"Team Aqua… and Team Magma." Steven spoke in a somewhat harsh tone.

"We have been expecting you." Maxie muttered, addressing to me.

"Archie… I'm going to hand over that thing we developed to this girl. Alright?" What was she talking about…?

"Yes." Archie nodded. "The Aqua suit. Take it…"

"THE AQUA SUIT?" I exclaimed all of sudden. I remembered seeing it on their hideout.

"This super high-performance protective suit was made with the combined technology of the Devon Corporation and Team Aqua!" I dedicated a furious glance to Archie, remembering how he tried to hit Steven in Seafloor Cavern. "We actually prepared it in anticipation of coming into contact with Kyogre. I'll just leave it with you." Ohohoho, my suspicions were being confirmed bit by bit…

"But… Even if she puts that thing on, do you really think she'll be able to make it all the way down were Kyogre waits?" Archie questioned to the administrator. She turned away to face the door that led to the Cave of Origin.

"The energy overflowing from this shrine is certainly more powerful that we had anticipated. A…"

"Enough!" I interrupted Shelly. "Enough chit-chat! Help me to get on that suit. I'm going to face Kyogre!"

Everybody gasped, they didn't see that coming!

"Are you sure about that, woman?" Maxie asked as he tried to put his glasses in place.

"Emily, what…" I didn't let Steven to continue talking.

"This is the time. What if Kyogre reaches the cave as we are out there talking and talking and talking? It's time to jump to the action!" I responded as I gestured Shelly to approach me, which she did in a hesitant manner.

"Well, I guess you have your point." Steven admitted.

Shelly took the suit from my hands. "Well, get your shoes and your bag off." As I took my bag off, I thought about my team. And apparently, Shelly read my thoughts. "Oh, and you can only take a pokémon with you."

That was, with no doubt, the hardest choice of my life. I didn't want to leave any of my pokémon behind. My last memory of them would be the battle against Archie, and I didn't like that one. But at the end, I decided to take Trevor with me. We started this together, so maybe we should finish it together as well.

"Put on the helmet." Shelly uttered as she handed it to me, but I made her wait a bit.

I grabbed from my bag all of the pokéballs pertaining to my team members, minus Trevor's, and I handed them to Steven.

"If something happens, I want you to give them to my parents, who live in Oldale Town." I refused to utter any derivative of the word that starts with "d" and ends with "h", although I knew it was highly possible that such thing would happen to me.

He put slowly the pokéballs (which were shrunken) into his pocket. And when I was going to walk away, Steven pulled me towards him and hugged me. I swear that was one of the most intense hugs I ever received!

"Nothing bad will happen to you, I'm sure of it." Steven whispered into my ear as he tightened the embrace. Of course, I was hugging him back with equal intensity. That might be the last time I saw the person I love, and if it was for me, that hug would have lasted forever. But the fate of the Earth was on my hands…

As I separated from him, I stroked his cheek, just like I did in Seafloor Cavern. I could tell he was very worried. I think I even saw he was teary eyed, but maybe it was just the rain. To be honest, I was feeling like crying too.

I kneeled before my bag as I grabbed Trevor's pokéball as well as the red orb… and the Master Ball. I bet you are all like "No, she won't!" Well, that was the reaction of all the people surrounding me.

"I think this is the way of stopping this. I have the red orb, he has the blue orb. The elderly couple at Mount Pyre told me that the two orbs must be together. And, what better way to keep the orbs together than this one?" I manifested as I put the two pokéballs inside a small pocket in the suit.

"Emily! I'm sorry to say that we have put the greatest burden on your shoulders alone…!" Maxie exclaimed all of sudden.

I sighed. "Yes, it's the worst burden you could have put on my shoulders, but I think I can handle it." I said this as I eyed the door that leads to the Cave of Origin, where Kyogre was unknowingly awaiting for me.

"And that's why I trust you to take care of this." Maxie continued as he wiped the raindrops away from his glasses. And suddenly, something I wasn't expecting at all, happened before my eyes.

Archie approached me all of sudden with a very serious expression. "I'm sorry."

"Say that again." I whispered as I stared at him. "SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!" I raised my tone all of sudden.

"I… I'm sorry. I'm very sorry!" It looked like his words were actually genuine. "I'm begging, so… Save us… The world… And Kyogre…"

I approached Archie even more, in an intimidating manner… Only to pat his shoulder in a friendly way. "I will. I will do everything I can. I promise!" I exclaimed as I looked at all the people around me… specially Steven.

I put the helmet on and I began to walk towards the entrance of the Cave of Origin, which was flanked by two gorgeous girls (whom I didn't notice until that very moment) dressed in a kimono.

"Violet, Elvie… Open the door for her." As soon as Wallace uttered these words, the two women opened the door.

It was the moment… Before stepping into the cave, I turned around to see the little crowd of people who expected me to solve that global catastrophe. I managed to smile and I raised my thumb. After that, the doors closed. Me, a humble girl from Oldale Town, was about to try to calm down the super-ancient pokémon Kyogre… How does that sound?

The inside of the cave was somewhat dark. Luckily, it was illuminated by several torches. My heart beat faster with every step I took. I walked until I found a hole in the floor.

Once I descended through it, I reached a chamber with an even bigger hole on it. And shortly after beginning to walk across that room, a tremor shook it.

"Yes, I am eager to see you too, Kyogre!" I exclaimed as I entered another room full of stairs.

The impatience and the tension were building very quickly inside me. I only wanted to arrive to the place where Kyogre was and catch him with the Master Ball so everything would return to normal for once and for all. Only Arceus knew if there was any victim already…

And speaking of Arceus, before entering to yet another chamber, I said a quick prayer. Despite being a believer, I don't pray very often. But I felt like that was the best moment to do it!

I'm not going to bore you with all the unnecessary details, so now I'm going straight to the point, the interesting part! Eventually, I reached a chamber full of mist on which the tremors where more and more frequent, as well as more intense. I was aware that I was near to the pokémon I was looking for, the pokémon who was causing havoc because of the actions of an extremist.

Before going down the last set of stairs, I took a deep breath and I said "HERE WE GO!" As soon as I reached the next chamber, I knew it was the place. I walked towards the edge of the water as the entire place shook. He was arriving, Kyogre was about to reach the Cave of Origin! Shortly after a soft tremble, a red light enveloped me. It was the energy emanating from the red orb. Then, everything trembled again. He was very close; my heart was beating like a jungle drum.

"Appear! I'm waiting for you!"

And as if he actually heard me, Kyogre's enormous blue body emerged from the water. He had his back turned on me, but that didn't make the situation any less tense. "What I am supposed to do now?" I asked myself silently. "Kyogre…" I whispered as the creature roared.

"Krrraaaaaaaawrrr!" His cry made the room shake once more.

"Here you are…" And just then, I remembered something:

It was a nightmare that I had some time ago. A voice told me that the day when the sun and the moon were together, something would happen. The sun and the moon… Solrock and Lunatone! There was as well an imposing creature who told me that everything was up to me. And that creature couldn't be anyone but Kyogre… Ah, it's true what they say, that some dreams come true!

And just then, a voice came from the suit. It was Archie.

"Hey! You read me, little scamp?"

"Yeeees." I answered with a bit of disdain.

"Aye, it's me, Archie!"

"Hehe, I know it's you. And guess who's standing before me?" I asked in a cheerful tone.

"Yes, I know. We're getting readings up here that look as though Kyogre's appeared."

"Aha." I confirmed.

"Don't be afraid, scamp! You leap right onto that beastie's back!"

"WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Really, I had to jump onto Kyogre's back? ME?!

"Then le… take you to… dee…est…"

"Archie, I can't hear you!" And then, the sound cut out.

I started to tremble… What if Kyogre got violent and turned back to attack me? What if I fell in the wrong place? There were so many different ways that it could have gone wrong… But instead of freaking out, I decided to stand up for Hoenn, for the world and for all the people awaiting my outside, including my parents and my pokémon. It was the time…

"Okay buddy, I will be easy!" Then, I took a run up and I jumped as high as I ever did. In less than five seconds, I landed on Kyogre's back.

The sensation was very special; I could feel how mushy and slippery his skin was. I will never forget that moment, never…

"And now, let's go to the depths!" I don't know if it was causality, but he started to dive into the water as if he was obeying my command. Remember when I said that being at Tate and Liza's gym gave me a mystic sensation? Forget about that, this was a REAL mystic sensation! You don't ride on the back of a legendary pokémon everyday! Things were actually getting serious…


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Primal Clash Pt.2

We approached to an entrance were the currents of water were very powerful. Maybe that was the place Kyogre was looking for, the place where he would return to his primal form. And I was there to help him to not make a bigger disaster, I was determined to catch Kyogre and let him join my team. "Woooooo!" I exclaimed as we went through the tunnel. I could see a bluish light at the end. "You better take me to a beautiful place!" Yes, I dared to joke with a pokémon who was probably very pissed off despite not showing it.

The current was extremely powerful. Aside from the fact that Kyogre was swimming with determination to the hole, there was a strange force that drew us towards it. "It looks like it has to be this way" I said quietly to myself.

And indeed, he took me to a beautiful place. It was like a cave, the walls were covered by greenish rocks and there were lots of little waterfalls. Also, there were light blue shining rocks. I know Steven would have loved them… And there were like some claws made of a darker blue kind of rocks, which were suspended from the ceiling. Quickly, I got off from Kyogre; there was a small patch of firm ground. Then I faced the beast again.

"Is this were you are going to regain your power?" Kyogre made a low sound. I took a deep breath before continuing to speak. "Do it. Show your real you to me. I won't harm you because of it, I promise!"

After I finished that sentence, a column of energy coming from the "claws" in the ceiling enveloped the enormous pokémon.

"Krrraaaaaawrrr!" Kyogre roared looking right into my eyes. His roar sounded angry and pained at the same time. Maybe the transformation caused him some kind of physical pain.

Right at that moment, I felt Trevor's pokéball shaking in my pocket. I grabbed it and I threw it to the floor. Trevor knew what was going on.

"Trevor, don't do anything until I tell you to, alright?" Trevor nodded as he stared at the legendary pokémon, whose transformation was advancing quickly.

Despite of the light surrounding him, I saw how Kyogre became twice as big. His eyes changed his color, going from yellow to a stunning orange color, now his sclera was a soft yellow instead of black. And then, a very strong dark blue light enveloped him. Just like in Seafloor Cavern, only that this time was much more intense. Oh, and I swear I saw an alpha symbol during a very brief moment! Then, a huge tremor shock the chamber and the light "broke". Kyogre already completed his transformation.

If Kyogre looked imposing before, now he looked twice as imposing! New patterns appeared all over his body, his eyes looked more ferocious than they did before and as I already mentioned, he became a real colossus. And just like his appearance changed, his attitude changed too… He went from acting somewhat calm to being very aggressive. He was clearly very angry and upset and now, calming him was my duty.

"Kyogre, I'm so very sorry for everything you have been through today." I started talking in a soft tone.

"KRRRAAAAAAAAAWRRR!" The super-ancient pokémon screamed before baring his teeth, which made Trevor to get into an attack position.

"I understand that you feel so furious, but I'm not going to hurt you… I'm not the one who caused your pain. That people is outside there and they regret disturbing you. They even asked me to help you!

And guess which was Kyogre's response? After dedicating to me an ear shattering roar, he jumped into the air as multiple blue orbs appeared around him. He was going to…

"NO, KYOGRE! NO!" I yelled as he continued to execute the attack. I couldn't understand why he tried to kill me when all I wanted was to help him and make him feel safe.

And then, Trevor jumped in front of me, getting ready to shield me from Primal Kyogre's attack. I didn't even need to tell him, Trevor already knew I was in danger. I closed my eyes as I felt tears forming again. I had no idea if Trevor would survive the attack. If something happened to him, I would feel awful, because it would be my fault…

…but surprisingly, he endured it. Of course, he got injured because that attack is very powerful, but he made it. Trevor could still stand up, and that was very good. "I don't know what I would do without you." I muttered as I patted his head affectionately. Then I returned my attention to the angry legendary pokémon.

"Kyogre, I will repeat it once more: I don't want to hurt you! I came here to help you, I'm your friend!" I dared to approach him a bit more. "Don't be scared of us, we only want to make you feel better. I know you are suffering, I know how it feels, believe me. We mean no harm." I got a lump on my throat once more. "I have a family outside waiting for me, as well as a couple of friends… and one of them holds a very special place in my heart. And of course, there's also my other pokémon, I don't want to leave them orphaned!" I sighed as I looked into his eyes. "And if you want to… You can join me too. I will take good care of you. If you come with me, I swear to Arceus that nobody will try to use you anymore." I was vomiting words, and they came straight from my heart. I know it sounds corny, but… eh.

After finishing my little speech, I sighed and I smiled at the primal pokémon. He looked calmer and I approached him a bit more. But that was a bad choice…

"KRRRAAAAAAAAAAAWRRRR!" He delivered the most terrifying roar he made until that moment and he approached me as he raised half of his body from the water. He was going to crush me…

As Kyogre raised his body, the twenty years I lived flashed before my eyes. I could already feel the pain of my bones breaking one by one and my innards exploding and he wasn't even on top of me yet. I thought about all the people waiting for me outside, and my pokémon, who wouldn't see their trainer anymore. I started to cry as I felt how my life reached his last seconds. I swear I could even see a pair of light blue eyes staring at me with sorrow. But then…

…someone pushed me very hard, making me fall on my left side, which hurt a lot since I had an enormous bruise in my arm. But I'm pretty sure it didn't hurt as much as being crushed by a 948 lbs pokémon!

I opened my eyes to find out who was my savior… It was Trevor. He saved my life once more. I bursted into tears as I hugged him.

"Trevor, I'm so thankful to have you! Thanks for everything…" He even helped me to get up.

I looked at Kyogre a bit warily, he still seemed very upset. That's why I decided to change my tactic. I kneeled in front of him and I lowered my head to avoid any eye contact with Kyogre.

"Kyogre…" I said softly. "There's a time and a place to die, but this ain't. Neither for me nor for you. I have a future and you have it too, and that future has you belonging to my team. I want to be your friend and I'm not going to take you for granted!" I established eye contact with Kyogre very slowly and I noticed something: he seemed to be at peace.

I kept looking at him. He made a low sound, it almost sounded like a sigh to me. Maybe he was already getting the message? If so, these were great news! In a fit of confidence, I reached for the Master Ball in my pocket, making sure Kyogre didn't see it. That could have made feel him upset again, and I didn't want that. I got up and I approached him very slowly. Once I was close enough, I placed my hand on his forehead.

"Everything is alright now." I said as I smiled in a friendly manner. The super-ancient pokémon made a sound that reminded me of a purr. Kyogre was content at last!

Then, I took two steps back and I got ready to throw the Master Ball at him. "It's time." I whispered as I took my arm forward. That moment played in slow motion for me: the ball separating from my hand and then impacting on Kyogre, Kyogre getting absorbed into the Master Ball, the Master Ball shaking three times… and making a clicking sound.

After that, I slowly walked towards the Master Ball and I put it into my pocket. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened.

"WE DID IT! WE DID IT, AT LAST!" I cheered as I hugged Trevor. Then, I began to cry again. But this time, they weren't tears of despair… They were tears of happiness and relief, the tears that only come in moments when hope shines again.

The hug lasted like, a couple of minutes. I felt so happy; there are not enough words to describe it! I was anxious to get outside again; I wanted to see everyone, even Archie!

And suddenly, the whole cave began to tremble. A very powerful current of energy was surrounding everything. Umm, what if I did something wrong…?

As I returned Trevor to his pokéball, I remembered I needed to surf my way out of the cave. There was only a pokémon able help me…

"Kyogre… Err, Cataegis…" Yes, that's his nickname. Of course I nicknamed him; I nickname each and every one of my pokémon! Even if that pokémon is the titan who shaped the sea! "Sorry to bother you, but we have to get out of here!"

And as I did half an hour before, I jumped on his back. Cataegis took me outside of the cavern and in no time, I was already in firm ground. I thanked him before returning him to his pokéball. I still couldn't believe it!

The way across the Cave of Origin made me feel even more anxious. Only several meters separated me from the outside world. I got to a point where I began to run, I couldn't wait anymore!

And finally, I reached the doors. I knocked on them as hard as I could. And finally, after several seconds, the doors opened very slowly. And what I saw when I stepped out of the Cave of Origin made me realize that nothing bad was happening, not at all. The situation was very different from the situation there was when I entered. The black clouds were slowly fading away, making way for sunset's orange sky. And then, a rain of green sparkles began to fall. That was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. That's another moment I will never forget.

But as I stared in awe at the sparkly rain, I remembered about the people waiting for me. Slowly, my eyes looked in a certain direction. I removed my helmet and I threw it without looking where I was throwing it.

"Owie!" A female voice complained.

"Sorry Shelly!" I said before running towards a certain someone. I bet you all know who I'm talking about…

"You're back…" Steven murmured before hugging me once more. I hugged him back with all my remaining strength.

That was the most heartfelt hug I've ever given or received. I heard him sobbing softly… I never saw him cry… And he was crying for me.

"It's okay, everything is over now." I said as I caressed his back. After a long while, I separated a bit from him. "You can give me my pokéballs now." I smiled.

"Oh, of course!" He responded as he handed them to me, one by one. I went and I put them inside my bag along with Trevor's pokéball. But before placing in the bag Categis's pokéball, I wanted to boast a bit. "See this? This is where Kyogre rests now. He's now my new buddy!" I chuckled before finally putting it into my bag.

"The power, which had been pooling within the Cave of Origin, is now flowing back into our world…"

"Like it must be!" I exclaimed happily as I got the suit off.

"It feels so… warm… Just now my heart felt like it was about to be crushed by uncertainty and terror, but now it feels like it's been softly set at ease…"

"Everybody makes mistakes." I said as I approached Archie. "Big, small… But it doesn't matter. Most of the time, there's room for a second chance."

"Bwahahaha scamp, you sound like a philosopher!" Archie answered in an unusually friendly manner. I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"The land… or the sea…" Maxie spoke again. "Humans… or pokémon… When we sought to bring happiness to only one… we nearly destroyed both. Now the world's balance is restored to its natural state. Perhaps this is the time we must reconsider our ideals…"

"Do it!" I murmured as low as possible so he couldn't hear me.

"Don't you agree, Archie?" Team Magma's leader asked to his rival.

"Yeah… You're right." I never imagined I would hear Archie saying that. "What you're saying is only natural. I know that. But still… I can't just change… The world I believed to be ideal… The kind of world I dreamed of making, where I could live alongside my beloved pokémon… That hasn't changed." I sighed in an exasperated tone as I heard that. "I know I've got nothing to stand on, after causing this much hurt, but…"

"That's right." Shelly interrupted him. "You caused a big fuss there when you almost brought about the downfall of the world, you big dolt! No matter how much you beg, no one can forgive that! But… Do you really need their forgiveness, though?"

"I FORGIVE HIM!" I exclaimed all of sudden. "There's no use in being angry over something that has already been solved!" Archie looked shocked after I said that.

"See, the girl has a point! And even if no one wanted to forgive you… I'll… I'll stay with you! I'll stay with you forever! So, please… Stop going out on your own and acting crazy. You're… our… Team Aqua's leader, and we're your friends, after all."

"Shelly…" Archie was feeling emotional. "Sorry… and thanks." Then he looked at me. "And thanks to you as well, scamp." I nodded as a signal of approval.

Then Maxie approached me.

"We adults have a duty to pass this world along to the next generation. A world worth passing along. What is it we truly need to do to create such a world? Take each other's hand in friendship? Or fight for the right of supremacy? I think it is time we consider this again with our team members and break down the wall between us."

And then, it was Archie who wanted to talk to me.

"All right, ya little scamp. You managed to use that red orb, so now let's see you try this on for size. If you give it to Kyogre, you should be able to control its primal reversion."

"Do you mean I will be able to choose whether if he reverts to his primal form or not? But thought he had the blue orb with him!"

"Exactly! And no, his primal reversion was possible thanks to the energy he absorbed from the orb at Seafloor Cavern and the energy from the Cave of Origin." And then, he handed the blue orb to me. The two orbs were together at last, like it must be. "Farewell… See ya."

"Wait, this is the last time I'm seeing you?"

"Maybe yes, maybe not. Nobody knows." Archie answered.

"Well, if so… I hope everything goes well for you, wherever you go." I was really feeling what I said.

"Thank you, scamp."

"Oh, and… Shelly, I'm sorry for the incident with the helmet." I said as I chuckled nervously.

"Eh, don't worry. I will survive!" Shelly said as she smiled slightly.

Then Archie and Shelly left. After that, Maxie did a courteous gesture towards me and left as well. I was left alone with Steven, which made me feel nervous… in a good way.

"Team Magma and Team Aqua have totally different ideals, but they just reached an agreement." He said calmly.

"True. Being able to get along with someone who disagrees with you is something wonderful, in my opinion." I stated as my cheeks began to burn, a sensation I was already missing… and which I thought I would never experience again.

And this is how this tale ends. The tale of how the world was about to get destroyed and how I managed to save it. But this isn't the end of the story. And that wasn't the end of the day either…


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Because the night**

The night was so clear that nobody could have told that during the day a torrential rain threatened to drown the whole world. Almost all of the houses in Sootopolis City were damaged in some sort of degree. Some of the houses missed part of the rooftop. People already worked in repairing the damage.

As for me, it was impossible to sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about everything, all the events replayed in my mind over and over. Especially that near death experience. If it wasn't for Trevor, I wouldn't be there telling you this story. The most amazing thing is that the one who caused that dangerous experience, the one who almost crushed me to death, turned out to be a really sweet and calm pokémon. During the rest of the day, I would release Cataegis into Sootopolis's sea every now and then so he could have some free time and after a while, he always returned to where I was, like a trained Poochyena.

And I was getting ready to do the same again, only that this time instead of leaving him alone I would ask him to take me for a ride. Maybe that way I would clear my mind. I still couldn't believe that I was able of such a feat… I was still asking myself "Why me?" Of course I was happy that I saved the world, but it was so… unbelievable.

"Well… It's time for another ride." I spoke to Cataegis's pokéball as I was about to release him into the water.

And when I was about to hop onto him, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Steven… I could understand that he was unable to sleep as well; the day had been pretty intense for him too. Heck, it was an intense day for everybody in Hoenn!

"Is there something wrong?" Steven said as he approached me.

"No… yes…" Seeing him made me feel nervous. "It's just that I need to clear my mind off of things. That's all."

"Maybe I can join you if you want to, so we can lament together. This had been a very turbulent day for me as well." Exactly what I thought… Wait, WHAT?

"Of course! I need someone to talk to. Let me help you to get on his back." I said as I pointed towards the legendary pokémon.

I hoped onto Cataegis's back and then I reached out my hands to him. I know I already said this a million of times but that's something I will never forget… My hands holding his hands, so warm and soft… I must admit I hesitated a bit before letting him go. I hope he didn't notice it…

Steven sat right next to me. There were a few seconds of awkward silence which I tried to break by clearing my throat a couple of times. I really didn't want to say something dumb…

"So, tell me…" He started. "How does the Cave of Origin look like?"

I sighed. "It's like a dream… The first part is as almost like any other cave, but the place where Kyogre… Err, Cataegis took me to experience his primal reversion… Do you remember the Southern Island? Well, that place is even more dreamlike. I wish you could have seen it!"

"Then, from what you tell me I think it is a wonderful place."

"It really is!" Then I shivered as I remembered how Kyogre tried to attack me not once, but twice.

"Are you alright?" Steven showed some signs of concern.

"Yes, I was just thinking about… about something."

"Is it something that it's bothering you?" I nodded silently. "You can tell me… if you feel comfortable doing so."

It was a bit hard for me to say it, but I ended up telling him everything. "This baby there…" I said as I gently pat Cataegis's back. "…attacked me two times. And the second time he was so close to kill me… I swear I saw my entire life flashing right before my eyes." Then I got a lump on my throat. "But it's NOT his fault! He was very upset… Team Aqua is the one to blame here. And also… if I'm here right now is because of Trevor. He protected me both of the times Cataegis tried to attack me."

"I see… you seem to share a special bond with your pokémon. And you talk about Kyogre like if he has been in your team for a very long time."

"It's true; I grew fond of him even though he has been with me for four mere hours!" After all we've been through inside the Cave of Origins, I think it would be impossible to not grow fond of him.

"It looks like you are very caring towards your pokémon. If everything else fails, have you considered becoming a ranger?"

"Umm, the idea of becoming a ranger sounds really good to me… But I hope nothing fails. I didn't make it until this point for nothing." I began to speak with a hint of excitement in my voice. "And tomorrow… Tomorrow I'm going to battle Wallace. You know what that means, right?!"

"Yes… I know it." Steven seemed a bit serious as he said that.

"I can't wait to beat the champion! It… it will be amazing. I am already wondering what kind of pokémon he or she has!"

"You won't find out until the moment comes." Steven looked even more serious…

"Hey! Why so serious, hmm?" I said as I started to tickle his sides, but he didn't respond. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done tha… AHH, STOP!" I hollered as I started to laugh uncontrollably. Steven began to tickle me under my armpits and at my sides.

I tried to tickle him back, but he pinned one of my arms to my back using his free hand. I swear that I was about to melt, explode or maybe both things at the same time. Having him so near made me feel in a way that I can't describe, I even felt his hot breath on my neck every now and then.

"Please stop I… I can't!" I tried to utter as I laughed uncontrollably. I must say that I'm actually a very ticklish person.

"I won't stop until you tell me you will stop worrying about what happened today!" He teased me as he held my wrists behind my back. His face was so close to mine… The temptation was intense, but somehow, I could resist it… I don't know how.

"I promise… Just release me already!" I smiled coyly.

And as soon as Steven left me go, I pushed him, making him lay on his back.

"What are you doing? This is unfair!" He pretended to be mad as I sat on top of him.

"It's my turn now… don't you think?" I murmured as I poked his ribs playfully. He tried his best to get up but I pinned his arms down with my other hand.

I ran my other hand up and down his belly. I could feel how firm his abs are… I'm pretty sure I looked like a tomato at that moment. Something told me to stop even though I wanted to continue. I was afraid that maybe I was exceeding the limit, although he didn't seem to mind. But anyway, I got off of him and I helped him to sit.

"Oh, are you done already?" He teased.

"Yes… unless you want more." I said as I smiled coyly.

"No no, I think I had enough!" Steven laughed as he put a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. That made me feel somewhat dizzy.

After that, we remained silent for a while. I had no idea what to say and I still shivered from the fact that I had him so near, I could have kissed him if I wanted to… and I really wanted to, but probably that would have ruined our friendship and I didn't want that. I looked down at Cataegis. Apparently, all the fuss didn't disturb him in the slightest. Suddenly, Steven made me snap out of my thoughts.

"Can you see all the stars that there are tonight?"

"Yes, I noticed them. This is the calm after the storm, no doubt." And then something that caught me by surprise happened.

Steven started to sing. HE. STARTED. TO SING.

"When daytime turns to night, when the moon shines bright, when you're tucked in tight, when everything's alright slip softly to that place where secret thoughts run free…" His voice was incredible soothing. Almost unconsciously, I approached him more… and I accidentally placed my hand on top of his. Again, Steven didn't seem to mind and he continued singing."…come face to face with who you want to be, so swim across the ocean blue, fly a rocket to the moon…" I looked right into his eyes and all my worries seemed to fade away. I held his hand softly as he continued to sing. "…you can change your life or you can change the world, life is yours to live… Take a chance and then the best is yet to come. Make a wish, it's up to you! Find the strength inside and watch your dreams come true. You don't need a shooting star, the magic is right there in your heart… Close your eyes, believe and make a wish." Then he stopped singing. "Did you know that song?"

"No I… I never heard it." I said without letting his hand go. "Umm… Do you sing often?"

"No, but the stars reminded me of that lullaby."

I stared at him in awe for a few seconds and then I looked at the starry sky. I saw something that astonished me even more.

"Look at that! Isn't that… Kyogre's constellation?"

"Yes… it is!" He exclaimed.

"Haha, what a causality. We are actually sitting on top of that same pokémon and now we go and spot this! Isn't it wonderful?" I smiled as I looked into his eyes.

"True… And look at the one of flesh and blood; he seems to be very content with you."

"And I'd say he likes you as well. If not, maybe he would have flailed you off. But then again, I don't think he would have done that, Cataegis is actually very docile." I went silent for a moment because it was hard for me to say what I was about to say. I looked into Steven's eyes despite feeling very nervous. "I have to thank you for everything you did for me today. I'm so happy to have you as a friend… I wish I had a way to pay you back."

"You don't need to do anything; I have enough with your gratitude and your friendship." He smiled sweetly. I just wanted to melt again… "And also, the way you protected me from Archie… you are a very brave person. Thank you."

"Don't mention it! I will never allow someone I appreciate to get hurt. Not if I can prevent it."

There were a certain three words that I wanted to utter, but I felt that it wasn't the moment. And probably it would never be, all I could do was looking at him and holding his hand without knowing what to say whatsoever.

"Are you alright? You look very distracted."

"Oh yes! I… I was just thinking about how… things turn out to be very different from what we expect." I managed to come up with something.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at first I thought that Team Aqua was just a band of tugs, then I thought they were a group of well intentioned extremists and then… Well, you know what happened then." I actually managed to say something that made sense!

"You're right. We can't underestimate people; we never know what they are capable of." He sighed before continuing to speak. "For example, you might find along the way people who think that you are weak, but they couldn't be more mistaken."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes. When you entered the Cave of Origin, I was afraid. But not because I thought you wouldn't be able to make it, I knew you could do it. It was because I didn't want to lose you… I didn't want to lose my friend."

I left his hand go and I put my arm around his shoulder. "Believe me, while I was at that place, I couldn't stop thinking about all the people I care for… and you are one of them."

And without saying anything, Steven hugged me. Maybe we will never be more than friends, but I will always appreciate his friendship. I think I can't ask for a better friend.

Then he separated from me and started to talk about the next (and last) gym leader. "You say you are battling Wallace tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah."

"He's very strong, but the way you are now, you should be able of battling him on an equal footing."

"I hope so; I didn't make it until there for nothing. I will prove him that I'm worthy of taking on the Elite Four." I looked into the horizon as I said that, as if I thought about all the things that still awaited me.

"And one more thing; when you travel the world, you should try to use this. This flute is one of my favorites." He handed me a flute which had two wings that reminded me of those of Latios and Alyx.

"What is this?" I said as I examined the object.

"That's the eon flute. It's proof of the bond between you and Latias. No matter how far you may be from one another, play that flute and Latias will surely fly straight to you."

"Does she really feel such a close connection to me?" Yet another thing that astounded me!

"Trust me, she does. You can give it a try whenever you want. Then she can take you to the sky, soaring above the land with you astride her back."

"Just like when…?"

"Yes, just like when first encountered Latias and Latios at Southern Island…" Steven said that as if that was a fond memory for him too. For me, the day when we encountered the twins surely was an unforgettable day!

We remained silent for a while, staring at the starry sky. Also, I noticed how the water rippled every now and then. If I could have made that moment last forever, I surely would have frozen time! Ah, where's Dialga when you need him?

Sadly, after a while Steven had to leave.

"I wish I could spend more time with you, but I have to go home now. My father is waiting for me."

i"I wish I could spend more time with you."/i Those nine words resonated in my head insistently. I stared blankly at a random point of the sky for a while, but I could snap out of it on my own. "Me too, me too… It's important that you spend time with your family. If I defeat Wallace, I will probably go to visit my parents before heading for Evergrande City."

"You're right. And I think that they will be happy to see you before you take such an important step."

I nodded silently and after a few seconds, I told Cataegis to take us to the shore.

"Well… I hope we have the chance to meet again very soon." Steven said as he looked right into my eyes, it gave me the sensation that it was difficult for him to say goodbye, but probably it was just me.

"I hope so too…" And suddenly, an unstoppable impulse pushed me to do something I will never regret.

I kissed his cheek… But he moved all of sudden and I kissed him near his lips. My heart almost stopped beating.

"Um I… I'm sorry."

And then he kissed me back, on my right cheek. "You don't need to be sorry, it's okay." He smiled in a way that comforted me. "I'm looking forward to see you again. Until then, be careful."

"Alright… I hope we meet soon."

And then he left. I couldn't take my eyes out of Steven as he walked away. But there was another heart stopping moment: not long after beginning to get away, he turned around. I couldn't help but smile like a fool and for my surprise, he smiled back. After that, he finally left. I didn't stop looking in his direction until I lost sight of him.

I laid on my back, on top of Cataegis.

"Dear… Now I don't know what was more intense; if catching you or these last thirty minutes…"


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: The last frontier**

That was a very important day as well. I was about to get my last badge, the badge I needed to be able to take on the Elite Four. As you can imagine, I was very excited! The day was really sunny, nothing like the day before. Also, thinking about what happened the night before made me feel really good. That helped me to feel more confident.

So, without further ado, after having breakfast I headed towards the gym. Sootopolis's City gym is located in a small island. Getting to it was easy; Venus helped me to reach the location. Also, I took Cataegis with me and I was willing to let him take part in the battle. Maybe it wouldn't be very appropriate but… I wanted to do it anyways!

There was a big pool on the gym. As soon as I entered, I walked directly towards Wallace, who was standing at the other side of the pool.

"Hi! I guess you know why I'm here." I greeted confidently.

"Of course! Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Wallace. The gym leader of Sootopolis City. There's something about you… A difference in your demeanor… I think I sense that in you. What happened inside the Cave of Origin, and what you did there…"

"I think I could say that it made me grow as a person."

"Well, our upcoming battle will make all that clear. Now, show me. Show me the power you wield with your pokémon. And I, in turn, shall present you… with a performance of illusions in water… by me and my pokémon!" And after saying that, Wallace sent out to the arena a Luvdisc.

Wallace is a lot calmer than his niece Lisia, but that didn't make the battle any less awesome! I calmly walked towards my position. My choice was very clear, I sent out Trevor almost without thinking about it.

"Luvdisc, attack him using sweet kiss!" Wallace's pokémon attacked first. The heart shaped pokémon's mouth glowed pink as she released a pink heart from it towards Trevor, which confused him. Well, the battle would be more difficult than I thought!

Trevor's eyes went sunken as he began to trash around. That wasn't a good thing…

"Trevor, use leaf blade on Luvdisc!" I commanded as I emphasized the last two words. Sadly, Trevor ended up attacking himself instead.

"Now use draining kiss!" Luvdisc kissed Trevor's cheek and he didn't even realize he was being attacked. But I kept my head cool, refusing to freak out. It was my last gym battle and I wanted to do it well!

"Trevor, now try to use gigadrain!" This time he tried to execute the attack, but it missed.

"I can sense you aren't even close to giving up, I like that! Now, keep admiring this show! Luvdisc, use water pulse!" Luvdisc fired a ball of water towards Trevor; the blow was so strong that it made him fall.

But somehow, that attack made him snap out of his state of confusion. I noticed Trevor's eyes weren't sunken anymore and he seemed to be more alert.

"Trevor, focus on your opponent and use dual chop!" And as I suspected, he quickly moved towards Luvdisc, hitting her twice with his claws. Finally, things seemed to be going well!

"Impressive, but you didn't see everything yet! Luvdisc, use attract!"

"Trevor, ignore her and use leaf blade!" After trying his best, Trevor managed to ignore Luvdisc's attack. Next, he used his right arm to slash the heart shaped pokémon with the sharp leaves protruding from it. "Well done!" I encouraged him.

"Luvdisc, use draining kiss!" Once more, Luvdisc approached Trevor and kissed his left cheek, stealing part of his energy.

"That won't stay this way! Trevor, use gigadrain!" This time, he could attack his opponent successfully. Trevor drained part of Luvdisc's as a green beam of light went from the water type to the seeds on his back.

"I like what I'm seeing so far! Luvdisc, use water pulse!" Once more, Luvdisc fired a ball of water towards my pokémon. This time, said ball was slightly bigger, but Trevor could take the hit really well.

"Now use leaf blade, Trevor!" And that's all he needed to defeat the heart shaped pokémon.

"I like how you manage yourself and your pokémon, but this spectacle has just begun! Go ahead, Whishcash!" A dark blue pokémon appeared in the battlefield.

I don't know if Wallace saw this coming, but he was really impressed by what happened next.

"Well done Trevor, I will let you rest a bit." I said as I returned him to his own pokéball. Then I grabbed the Master Ball from my bag… "Cataegis, it's your turn now!" The legendary pokémon appeared, emitting a powerful cry. I chose to not make him undergo a primal reversion because that would have been too much.

"W-wow… Why didn't I see this coming?" Wallace babbled as he looked at the enormous pokémon in front of him. "W-well, Whishcash, use zen headbutt!" The water and ground type launched towards Cataegis as his head and eyes glowed blue. The impact made Cataegis move back a few meters. The attack didn't seem to hurt him very much.

"Cataegis, use body slam!" Yes, that's the first time I commanded him to use an attack. And it almost felt surreal to me! Cataegis jumped up and landed on Whishcash. The opponent was really affected; it looked like we would just need another hit to defeat him. Also, that made me think about how close I was to experience the same (which would have had different consequences), but I brushed it off almost instantly.

"Whishcash, use waterfall now!" Whishcash eyes glowed blue as a column of water rose from the pool. Then the dual typed pokémon swam up the column in a fast, spiraling motion, delivering a rather hard hit to Cataegis. But of course, that wasn't enough to take him down.

"Cataegis, use aqua ring!" Three rings of water surrounded his body. The few damage he got from Whishcash's attacks disappeared.

"It's impressive how much this pokémon trusts you!" Wallace exclaimed as he took a glance at Cataegis. "But now, let's continue! Whishcash, use earthquake!" The pokémon jumped really high into the air and then landed again on the water, making the whole battlefield shake. Cataegis even sunk into the water for a few seconds, but he rose up very soon.

"We are really close! Cataegis, use origin pulse!" I won't forget Wallace's face as I uttered those words. Cataegis jumped up as multiple orbs formed around him. Then he fired a beam of blue energy from each orb at Whishcash. The whole gym became inundated by an intense blue light as Cataegis performed his attack. After the energy faded away, Whishcash had fainted.

"Well done, very well done!" I congratulated my pokémon very enthusiastically.

"Wow… That was superb!" Wallace was downright amazed, which was an honor to me, considering how strong his pokémon are! "But now, let's continue! It's your turn, Sealeo!"

I decided not to keep using Cataegis for the battle; I didn't want to look like someone who uses legends to make things easier… although I know I'm not that kind of trainer. Once more, it was Trevor's turn.

"Sealeo, use aurora beam!"

"Trevor, use fury cutter!"

Trevor could avoid the multicolored beam that Sealeo fired from his mouth as he approached the water and ice type. After that, Trevor rapidly slashed Sealeo with the leaves on his wrists. Then, he returned to his position.

"Now, Sealeo, use body slam!" The light blue pokémon jumped up on the air and landed on Trevor, who had a bit of a hard time getting back on his feet.

"Trevor, now use leaf blade!" This time, Trevor used both arms to attack his opponent. Sealeo is not just a water type; he's also an ice type, which meant that we would have a harder time trying to take him down. But it would be worth the effort!

"Sealeo, try to use aurora beam!" This time the attack didn't miss, Trevor was hit by a multicolored beam which came straight from Sealeo's mouth. The attack affected him quite a bit, but not enough to use any kind of potion on him.

"Trevor, it's time to use gigadrain!" Once again, he absorbed part of Sealeo's energy through the seeds on his back.

"Sealeo, use waterfall!" The eyes of the dual typed pokémon glowed blue as a big column of water rose from the pool. Then, he swam up the column at a great speed, knocking Trevor and sending him a few meters away.

"Trevor, stand up and use fury cutter!" After a few seconds, Trevor recovered from the hit and jumped towards Sealeo at a great speed, slashing him repeatedly.

"Sealeo, use encore and then aurora beam!" Sealeo slammed his fins against the ground and then attacked Trevor once more, leaving him very weak.

Since Sealeo used encore on him, he was unable to use gigadrain. I reached for an hyperpotion in my bag and I sprayed it on Trevor. The potion made him feel much better.

"Since there's no other choice… use fury cutter!" This time, the hit was a tiny bit more powerful than the last time. The fact that Sealeo used encore after Trevor used fury cutter was really beneficial to us!

"Sealeo, use body slam again!" Trevor's opponent jumped into the air, just like the last time. Trevor tried to get out of the way, but it was too late and he ended up being crushed under Sealeo's weight once more.

After that I healed Trevor again, using a superpotion, since he seemed to be having a really hard time when trying to move.

Once Trevor recovered his energy, he used fury cutter again. This time the attack was even more powerful than the two other times. What's more, Sealeo already seemed to be close to fainting.

"Sealeo, do your best and use aurora beam again!"

"Trevor, dodge it and use fury cutter once more!"

And as I predicted, the attack made Sealeo faint. We were closer to getting our eighth and last gym badge!

"Glorious! But the best is still to come. Go, Seaking!" Wallace sent out his fourth pokémon, a mostly red fish pokémon whom had a horn on her forehead. It was a really interesting pokémon!

This time I decided to keep Trevor in the battlefield. Taking that Seaking down shouldn't be too complicated for him. I tried to tell him to use a different attack.

"Trevor, use leaf blade!" And it succeeded. Trevor attacked the water type using his right arm and the hit did a decent amount of damage.

Wallace muttered approvingly before telling his pokémon to attack. "Now, Seaking, use waterfall" A column of water rose as Seaking's eyes glowed in a deep blue color. Then she knocked Trevor down.

"Trevor, use dual chop!" After jumping towards his opponent, Trevor struck Seaking repeatedly, using his claws.

"Seaking, use aqua ring!" Water drops formed around Seaking's body and then they combined together to form three rings of water that made the damage disappear. When you see the pokémon of other trainers executing that kind of moves, it feels annoying!

"Trevor, use leaf blade again!" As I said, Trevor charged at Seaking and attacked her using both arms. I was just hoping that Wallace wouldn't tell her to use aqua ring again…

"Seaking, use waterfall again, now!" Seaking charged Trevor at a high speed as a column of water surrounded her. But this time, the hit wasn't enough to make Trevor fall.

"Okay Trevor, use fury cutter!" Trevor slashed Slaking with the leaves on his wrists so fast that I almost couldn't see anything. He was doing great!

"Seaking, use aqua ring just like before!" Damn it!

"I can do that too! Trevor, use gigadrain!" This time, Trevor absorbed Seaking's energy through his tail. The battle shouldn't take more time.

"Now use horn drill, Seaking!"

"Trevor, dodge it and use dual chop!" Luckily, Trevor could avoid the attack and hit his opponent. If Seaking ended up hitting him, Trevor would have fainted.

"Seaking, it's time to use rain dance!" Seaking's horn glowed light blue as a dark cloud appeared inside the gym and then it started to rain. Yes, IT WAS RAINING INSIDE THE GYM.

After staring during a few seconds at the phenomena, I told Trevor to use leaf blade. He hit Seaking with a swift movement, which was more than enough to defeat Seaking. To be honest, it surprised me. I thought the water type would last a bit more.

"Well, now it's time for you to see the best part. Prepare to be left astounded by this beauty! Go, Milotic!" And a gorgeous Milotic made her appearance. But guess what? There's no better Milotic than mine!

"This should be easy. Trevor, use dual chop!" Quickly, Trevor jumped towards Wallace's Milotic and attacked her twice, but this time he used his tail for the attack.

"Use hydro pump!" After the command, Milotic blasted a very powerful jet of water out of her mouth, which sent Trevor literally flying across the room. So that's why Wallace told his Seaking to use rain dance…

"Use leaf blade, Trevor!" I made a huge mistake there. Trevor could execute the attack successfully but…

"Milotic, now use ice beam on him!" After that, Milotic opened her mouth and a white ball formed in front of it. Then, she released multiple beams of white light, which made Trevor faint almost immediately after being hit.

I stared at Trevor in shock. At that moment, I knew I should have told him to use gigadrain. Then, maybe he would have been able to take the hit. Or not. Who knows? Either way I returned Trevor to his pokéball, not without telling him that he did a great job, and I sent out Venus. She seemed a bit surprised upon seeing another member of her species.

"A fellow Milotic lover! How did you get her?" Wallace asked before resuming the battle.

"I rescued her as a Feebas. Her trainer was being abusive." Remembering that was a bit painful for me. I didn't like to see the way that man was treating Venus.

"I'm sorry to hear that... But she looks radiant now!"

"Yes, she does! I do take good care of her, she deserves it."

"Well, enough talk, let's continue with this spectacle! Milotic, use hydro pump!" Again, Wallace's Milotic fired a powerful jet of water out of her mouth. The attack sent Venus straight to the wall behind me.

"Venus, use dragon tail!" Venus delivered a powerful hit to her opponent using her tail. Wallace's Milotic almost fell to the floor, but she could keep herself steady.

"Your Venus seems to have a good attitude! But that doesn't intimidate us. Milotic, use ice beam!" Wallace's pokémon swam towards Venus and coiled around her, blasting an ice beam straight into her face. That seemed to hurt Venus quite a bit.

"Venus, use aqua tail now!" A spiral of water formed around Venus's tail. Then she hit her rival with it.

"Milotic, use disarming voice!" Milotic opened her mouth and released a beam of purple hearts as she left out a loud shrieking cry. The purple hearts hit Venus as she seemed to be a bit astounded.

"Venus, use dragon tail again!" But this time, the attack missed. Venus still seemed to be a bit flabbergasted after listening to her opponent's voice.

"Great! Milotic, use ice beam!" The opponent fired a light blue beam from her mouth towards Venus. This time the hit wasn't so hard.

"Venus, go ahead and use water pulse!" A large ring of water appeared around Venus as her eyes glowed light blue. Then, the ring of water expanded and hit Wallace's Milotic.

"Milotic, now use recover!" Her body glowed gold as the damage on her body disappeared. It looked like the battle would last longer than we wanted!

"Mine knows that trick too! Venus, use recover!" Just like her rival did, Venus healed her wounds by enveloping herself in a golden light.

"I must admit, your Milotic is very graceful, but mine has nothing to envy! Use hydro pump, Milotic!" Once more, Wallace's Milotic attacked my Venus by releasing a huge stream of water from her mouth. The effects of rain dance still lasted, which explains why the attack was so powerful.

"Venus, counterattack with aqua tail!" Venus spun her tail as a big spiral of water began to form. Then, she flipped her tail and hit Milotic with it.

"Milotic, use disarming voice again!"

"Venus, avoid the attack and use dragon tail!" Venus dodged the beam of purple hearts and hit Milotic right on her face. This time, her opponent couldn't keep her balance.

"Milotic, use recover and hydro pump at the same time!" As her body glowed golden, Wallace's Milotic got ready to attack again.

"Venus, avoid the attack!" After that, Venus began to float in the air, avoiding her opponent's attack.

"Nice way to avoid my pokémon's onset! But she won't be able to avoid this one. Milotic, use ice beam!" Just like the first time, Milotic restrained Venus as she performed the attack, which hit Venus right in the face again. To me it was a bit of a dirty trick, but it was as valid as any other one.

"Now, Venus, use water pulse!" A ring of water formed around Venus. Then that ring turned into a wave which hit Milotic. The battle was really intense! Wallace really deserves his place as eighth gym leader.

"Milotic, use ice beam again!" This time, the water type didn't approach Venus for the attack. That way, the impact was less intense.

"Venus, go and use dragon tail!" And then, Venus gave out one of the most powerful hits she ever delivered. It was clear that she was determined to win!

"Milotic, defend yourself with hydro pump!" It was difficult for Milotic to execute the attack, since Venus's hit harmed her quite a bit. Anyway, Milotic's attack was still really powerful.

"Venus, use aqua tail, but now do it at full power! Do your best, I know you can do this!" And after these words of encouragement, Venus prepared herself to finish the battle. A huge spiral of water formed around her tail and then, she hit her opponent even harder than before. It was done.

Wallace's Milotic fainted. The victory was ours!

I screamed and jumped up and down before hugging Venus. I cried a bit as Venus hugged me back. I couldn't avoid reacting that way even if I wanted to. But that was something that had to be celebrated! After a while, I decided it was time to calm down a bit. It was time to receive my eight and last badge! I returned Venus to her pokéball, but not without congratulating her once more.

"I realize now your authenticity and magnificence as a pokémon trainer. I find much joy in having met you and your pokémon." Wallace said as he approached me.

"Same! Even if when we met for the first time we did it under unfortunate circumstances. But I must say that I enjoyed this battle a lot!" I responded happily.

"I see! You have proven yourself worthy of the Rain Badge. Accept it. Having that badge assures you full obedience of all your pokémon to every command you make."

I took the badge, which represented three drops of water, from Wallace's hands. That was a moment I thought would never arrive. But here I was, putting the eighth badge on its correspondent place in the case…

"Now, this means…" I muttered without completing the sentence, allowing Wallace to continue.

"…that you can take on the Pokémon League. It is the goal that all trainers in Hoenn aspire to reach after obtaining all eight gym badges. If that is the path you chose, then you must find your way to the island said to be the most remote in Hoenn: Ever Grande."

"I'm pretty sure I will make it there! Remember, I've been to a place no human should be able to reach!" I said referring to the Cave of Origin. "Oh, and one last question: Is there any place I should go before heading to Ever Grande?"

"Well it's not obligatory, but the rumors that reach me on the wind whisper that Professor Birch in Littleroot has created more powerful Pokédex. Visit him, obtain this new technology, and I have little doubt you will encounter more diverse than ever before."

"That sounds really interesting! I will definitely pay him a visit!" I didn't see Professor Birch since I started my journey. So many things happened since that day…

"And now… I will hope that a bright future waits for you, whatever path it is you choose."

"Thanks for everything, Wallace. Battling you has been amazing!"

After saying goodbye, I exited the gym and I walked towards the Pokémon Center. I would go to visit my parents the next day. I just overcame the last frontier that separated me from the Pokémon League but before heading to Ever Grande City, I wanted to see my parents. Seeing them would help me to feel even more confident.

"Dad? It's me! I will stop by home tomorrow."


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: One last stop**

The next day I headed to Littleroot Town from Sootopolis City. I told to my parents that I would go to update the Pokédex first. Knowing about so many other pokémon would be really interesting!

Guess who took me to Littleroot? Yes, Alyx did. After making sure no one was around, I played the eon flute Steven gave me and in less than two minutes, she was there. The way Alyx reacted when she saw me was so adorable… She flew around me a couple of times before giving me a great hug. I could tell Alyx knew I was in trouble when I sent her to my parent's house; she was very relieved to see me safe and sound.

Before taking off, I made Alyx mega evolve. Apparently, mega evolution helped her to travel faster. While the trip lasted, I contemplated the whole region. As we left Sootopolis, I observed how it turned into a white rock in the middle of the sea. I also glanced at the exact spot were Route 128 is. I could see also Mossdeep City, with the Space Center. There was a rocket which seemed ready to be launched.

And also, at some point I looked over my shoulder and I recognized a remote island with a huge red building, I remember seeing that same island the day Alyx joined my team. "Ever Grande…" I said to myself several times, as if it was some sort of mantra.

We arrived at Littleroot Town in about half an hour. Before landing, I made sure nobody could see us. There was a woman walking around, but soon she stepped into her house. After that, we landed and I returned Alyx to her pokéball, but not without thanking her for the ride first.

I stepped into Birch's lab. I've just been there once; it was the day I picked up Trevor, the day my journey started. The professor was writing something in the computer. I approached him a bit and I cleared my throat before talking.

"Hi professor!"

Birch stopped typing in the computer and turned around.

"Hi! I think I saw you before, but now I can't remember…"

"I came here a long time ago to pick up my starter pokémon. It was a Treecko." I said trying to make him remember.

"Umm… Umm… What's your name?" The professor asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

"Emily Davies."

He remained thoughtful for a while until he finally remembered me.

"Ah, now I remember! And I know who you are! You stopped Team Aqua!" That surprised me a lot; I didn't expect him to know that.

"Yes, that's right." I couldn't deny it. "I got into a lot of trouble, but I could solve the problem. It wasn't easy, but I could do it."

"I see, now that I look back, you look more mature than the first time you came here." Birch made a little gesture with his head before continuing. "Well, I guess you are here for the Pokédex, right?"

"Yes! I obtained my last badge yesterday and the gym leader advised me to update my Pokédex."

"Congratulations!" The professor exclaimed as he took the device from me. "Now I guess you will want to go and try to take on the Elite Four, right?" Birch continued as he introduced some data in the Pokédex.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do! I will visit my parents and tonight I will leave for Mossdeep City. Then, I will surf towards Ever Grande City from there." The mere thought made me feel all pumped up.

"Umm, I recall hearing that you can reach Ever Grande sooner from Mossdeep City so, I think you chose the correct path!"

"I hope so! I want to get there as soon as I can."

After a while, Professor Birch was done upgrading the Pokédex. Birch handed the device back to me as he spoke.

"Well, after hearing all you've been up to, there is something I'd definitely like to share with you."

"What is it?" I asked with curiosity.

"The fact of the matter is that after you resolved that kerfuffle with the super ancient pokémon, a number of pokémon never before recorded in the Hoenn region began to appear all over! Those pokémon are precisely the subject of my many long years of research… They are pokémon thought to have resided in Hoenn thousands of years ago!"

"Really? These are interesting news!"

"They are! We'll finally be able to meet pokémon never before seen, the very pokémon I've pursued all these years! I'm so excited that I feel like I'm about to burst!"

"No, don't burst!" I joked.

"Don't worry, I'll try not to! It is suggested that Hoenn is now more hospitable to pokémon after that incident in Sootopolis. However, that does not necessarily mean the environment has become any more hospitable to humanity. People, pokémon, nature… The balance between these three great ecosystems has shifted greatly. I can't wait for you to start exploring this new world! Exploration may help us learn how best to coexist with pokémon from this time forward." Then, Birch did a brief pause. "I hope you will find your own answer to this great question, as you continue your journey with your Pokédex!"

"That's for sure! I am really interested in studying the environment, but for now, the Pokémon League is my priority." I stated confidently.

"I understand. Good luck in your adventure!"

After thanking him and saying goodbye, I left the lab and I set out on my way towards Oldale Town. My parents told me that probably breakfast wouldn't be ready by the time I arrived, but I didn't care. Breakfast ready or not, all I wanted was to spend some time with them!

As I walked through Route 101, I spotted a pokémon I never seen before, exactly what Birch said. It was a small, grayish pokémon. His eyes were blue and he had a tuft of black and red hair on top of his head. I reached for my Pokédex in order to register the new pokémon, which was identified as Zorua.

i"To protect themselves from danger, they hide their true identities by transforming into people and pokémon."/i

That's a really interesting pokémon; I never saw one with that ability! I grabbed a few berries from my bag and I placed them near the wild pokémon. After walking away a few steps, I observed how the Zorua ate them happily. That sight made me really happy as well! Afterwards, I resumed my walk towards home.

Since there were no other distractions, it didn't take long. Maybe less than seven minutes. I was happy to visit them, but there was something negative about it: I had to leave Alyx and Cataegis at home. The Pokémon League has a rule which bans the use of legendary pokémon against the Elite Four and the champion. It's a pity, but I understand it. It would be unfair to sweep them with such strong pokémon! I don't say my other pokémon aren't strong, I'm just saying that legendary pokémon have an extraordinary power.

Finally, I reached my house. I rang the doorbell and after a few seconds, my mother opened the door.

"Hello dear!" My mom greeted as she hugged me. "Come into the house! Breakfast is almost ready. We have so much catching up to do!"

"Oh yes, we do!" I confirmed as I laughed happily. "Where's dad?"

My question was answered very soon as my dad appeared from the corridor at the left. I walked towards him with my arms open. We hugged each other as he asked how I felt lately.

"I felt so many different things… But now we have plenty of time to talk about it." I answered as thousands of memories from the last two days flashed across my mind.

Mom and I sat at the table as dad gave the finishing touches to breakfast. I could tell she really wanted to ask me about the incident with Cataegis.

"Come on, ask away! I am willing to talk about everything." I encouraged her in a friendly tone.

"Oh, you do? I thought you wouldn't want to talk about it…"

"It's fine. That was a very important experience and I don't mind talking about it." I assured.

"Alright. So… Is it true that you caught Kyogre in the end?" Mom asked with a subtle hint of disbelief in her voice. I understood it since that was a truly extraordinary event.

"Yes, it is completely true. I decided that the best would be catching him so nobody can go after him anymore. With a trainer protecting Kyogre, or Cataegis, how I nicknamed him, I think strange people will have to think twice before trying to mess with him, because I will NEVER allow that."

"You have a point girl! Then, I think you made the right choice." She paused for a while, as if it was difficult for her to make the next question. "But, what are you going to do with Alyx and him? You can't take them to the Pokémon League, you know."

"Yes, and that's why I must ask you and dad a favor." Dad turned around after I mentioned him."It's about Cataegis. While I'm out, let him swim freely in the seas of Route 103 and return him to his pokéball at night. And please, make sure no one spots him!"

"Don't worry; we won't let anything happen to him or Alyx!" My dad assured as he pat my back in a friendly gesture.

"I knew I could count on you!" I addressed to both as I smiled.

The sweet smell of pancakes already filled the room. Breakfast was almost done! If there's something I like as much as toasts, these must be pancakes!

As soon as they were ready, dad served a generous stack of pancakes to the three of us. Then he sat at the table.

We ate in silence for a while. The ambient was really peaceful, but I knew that it wouldn't take too long for mom or dad to say something. I wasn't tense; I was simply expecting them to say something. And as I suspected, my dad was the first one to talk.

"So… Your mom told me that you weren't alone the day of the storm." Well, it was about time that they asked about that!

"No, I wasn't." My answer was really succinct. I must admit it, talking about that did make me feel a bit uncomfortable, although I know I can tell anything to my parents. But still…

"Did he take good care of you?" Mom asked in a low tone.

"Yes, he did! I owe him a lot. I will never be able to thank him enough… I had a panic attack and he took the bother to help me."

"Oh dear, being alone in the middle of such a violent storm… Where was that guy when you needed him?" My dad seemed to be a bit upset.

"He was trying to tie up some loose ends first! But as soon as he saw in which condition I was, he didn't leave me alone." I assured calmly seeing how my dad reacted. Luckily, he chilled out immediately.

"Greg, just look at her." My mom said all of sudden. "This is serious."

"M-mom, what d-do you mean?" Her words startled me a bit.

"You see Emily, when you told us you were in love with that Steven guy, we thought it would be a short-lived crush…"

"Mom! Why would you think that?" I felt somewhat offended.

"But let me finish! It's because that happened before to you, but… I just noticed the way your eyes sparkle whenever you talk about him. I felt that way about your dad… and I still do." She uttered the last four words looking at my dad in an endearing manner. Then she addressed to me again. "So that's why we think you should go ahead and tell him what you feel!"

What she said left me totally awestruck! It took me a while to react.

"So you are saying… you approve?" I asked doubtfully.

"Of course we approve! It looks like he makes you happy. And if you are happy, that's more than enough to make us like him!" My dad smiled reassuringly. That made me feel really blissful.

So blissful that I got up from my chair and I hugged my parents. I am very thankful for them. As they hugged me back, I said something.

"But there's a thing that bothers me a lot."

"What is it?" They asked.

After I got back to my chair, I started to speak.

"What if he does not feel the same? I'm pretty sure he doesn't. I mean, why would a man like him be interested in someone like me?"

"Don't belittle yourself!" My mom exclaimed.

"If you don't tell him, you will never know. I thought your mom wouldn't like me… but she does."

"Of course I do!" Then mom addressed to me. "There are risks in life which are worth taking. And this is definitely one of them. So, when you have the chance, tell him everything."

"What's more, you've been friends for a while already, right?" I nodded after my dad finished the sentence. "Then what are you waiting for?"

"Greg, we shouldn't be pressuring her either." My mom spoke in a somewhat stern tone.

"I'm not pressuring the kid; I just want her to be happy!"

"I know!" My mom answered abandoning her severe expression.

We continued eating our breakfast, this time talking about trivial themes. The music in the radio made everything better; it was a very cheerful song. That's why we like to eat with the radio on! After a while, we were done eating. I helped them to wash the dishes and put everything back to its place.

Next, it was my pokémon's turn to have breakfast. I left them out in the garden as I served their food individually. The only problem was that I couldn't release Cataegis, he is so big that everyone could have seen him, and that would have been a problem.

As my pokémon enjoyed the food outside, I sat in the couch along with my parents as we watched TV. Soon, another conversation sparked.

"You are heading tonight to Ever Grande City… You must be really excited!" My dad manifested as he tried to look at me and the TV at the same time.

"Saying that I'm excited is an understatement. I think that I will have a heart attack as soon as I get there!"

"You can't have a heart attack! If you do, you won't be able to face the Elite Four!" My mom joked with a smile on her face.

"Then I'll be careful!" I laughed.

"But there's one thing…" My dad started to talk again. "…we think you are skilled enough to make it to the champion. And we think that you can be capable of defeating him or her. But if you don't, you must know that it's completely fine!"

"That's right!" My mom continued. "No matter what happens, you will be a winner to us."

"Thank you!" I said about to get emotional.

"But first, you must do your best to defeat the Elite Four! They are very strong, but we know you can give them a very bad time!" My dad cheered.

And my mom said something that made all of us laugh really hard. "And then, you will go where the champion awaits and you will kick his or her butt! That person should be afraid, very afraid!" She said all that in a goofy manner, she wasn't being serious. I don't want to be arrested because of attacking Hoenn's champion!

In the TV, they were broadcasting a film about a little Mudkip who followed around a grumpy Blaziken. They ended up becoming friends. It was a really touching movie!

I stayed with my parents until nine o'clock. I wanted to leave at night, but not in an hour where I would be unable to see a thing. So, before heading towards Route 103, I withdrew all of my pokémon minus Alyx. She knew I couldn't take her with me.

"I will be out for a while, but I promise I will be back as soon as I can, okay?" I said before hugging her. I could tell she was sad. "I promise that when I come back, we will spend a lot of time together and we will play a lot! Meanwhile, don't be sad and behave." I separated from Alyx and I pat her head affectionately. I waved goodbye a couple of times as I walked away with my parents. She returned the gesture effusively.

Saying goodbye to Cataegis was very hard as well. I just had him for two mere days and I already had to leave him. But I would do my best to be back as soon as I could. I grabbed my Master Ball and I threw it, releasing Cataegis into the waters of Route 103. The first thing he did was approaching me.

"Cataegis, I will be gone for a while. But I will be back in no time; I promise I will be back as soon as I can! But while I'm out, you must behave, okay?" I said as I pat his forehead.

Then he started to make sad sounding noises. It was heartbreaking, to be honest.

"It looks like he does want you to stay…" My mom observed.

"You must understand! I'm going to a place where I'm not allowed to take you with me. I wish I could, but I must respect the rules. I will be back very soon; meanwhile, my parents will take good care of you, alright?" I gently pressed my forehead against his in an affectionate gesture. Then, he seemed to calm down.

I observed how he swam away, but without moving too far from the shore. He knew he had to come back, he knew that now he had someone who cared about him. And then, it was my parent's turn.

"Well, I think we already told you everything we had to say. But still… We wish the best for you." My mom said right before giving me a bear hug, which I returned almost immediately. Then we separated and it was my dad's turn.

"I know that no matter what happens, you will make us very proud. And you must be proud of yourself and your pokémon too!"

"Of course I will! If I am here is thanks to them." I stated before giving an equally big hug to my dad.

After that, we said goodbye to each other once more. I spotted Cataegis in the distance and he seemed to be seeing me as well. I waved goodbye to him before releasing Hershey from his pokéball.

"To Mossdeep City!" I said as I rode his back. Then, I waved goodbye once more to my parents and we finally left towards Mossdeep.

The trip felt like it was going to last forever, but we finally made it. Ah, the last time I've been to Mossdeep City, the world was in a serious danger. But that day, I was there so the way to Ever Grande City could be shorter. But before heading to Ever Grande, my mind insisted on doing something…

I headed to Steven's house. I didn't want to tell him anything about how I feel; I just wanted to see him. I stood there for a good five minutes, attempting to ring the doorbell every now and then. The people in the street started to give me funny looks. At the end, I gave up. I couldn't gather enough courage to ring the doorbell or knock on the door. That made me feel quite bad, but I brushed it off as soon as I could. I was pretty sure I could see him in the future. Meanwhile, I would focus on the Pokémon League.

So, after that, I headed towards Route 127 and I released Venus into the water.

"Here we go!" I said as I rode her back.

Maybe it would take a while to reach Ever Grande City, and I knew that I would have to go all the way through Victory Road before reaching the Pokémon League building, but that wasn't a problem for me. I've been through harsher things, why shouldn't I be able to walk across a cave? Now I was closer to my goal!


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40: Friends before rivals**

Reaching Ever Grande City took me more than five hours. I knew it would happen; I even got lost a couple of times. I had to ask for directions to lots of people. Wallace wasn't kidding when he said that Ever Grande City is the most remote place in Hoenn!

But I finally made it to the place I was looking for: in Ever Grande City there's just a Pokémon Center and a Pokémon Market. In the first place, I healed my pokémon since they fought quite a few battles along the way and in the second, I bought several supplies I knew I would need for the way along Victory Road and of course, in the Pokémon League.

Victory Road is a very imposing place. Once you step in, there's no way you can turn back. Being in that place makes you think "If I already made it this far, why would I want to go back?" That's what makes you stay there and go all the way through it.

I spent two weeks inside Victory Road. There, I trained very hard with my pokémon and I taught them several new moves. Also, the pokémon living there are pretty strong, but what helped us the most were the other trainers. These trainers, like me, were also getting ready to challenge the Elite Four. I could see determination and eagerness in their eyes. Also, I must mention they are pretty strong and some of them managed to give me and my pokémon a hard time, but we could manage to pull through.

And again, I got lost once or twice inside that enormous cave. I think that I would have spent less time there if it wasn't for those unexpected events. But once more, I could find the correct path and I followed my way along Victory Road without further problems.

What you are going to hear now happened not too long ago, maybe less than twenty minutes. I was nearing the last segment of the cave when I spotted a familiar figure, it was Josh. Seeing him there hasn't surprised me at all. I knew he could make it too. At that moment, I remembered what he told me before I entered Mossdeep's City gym: Josh said that the next time we met, we would battle each other. And I think that there couldn't be a better time to do that than right before going to face the strongest trainers in the region.

So, I walked towards Josh with determination and I pat his back, since he had his back turned on me. He didn't seem to be particularly surprised either.

"I see you are getting ready too." I observed calmly.

"Of course I am! I want to make sure my pokémon are ready for the challenge. But I know they are anyway. And it looks like you are more than ready too!" Josh answered with a hint of thrill on his voice.

"As you said, I want my pokémon to do their best as well and I know I can count on them."

There was a pause for a few seconds and then I continued. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long… I can't believe I am about to reach the Pokémon League building!"

"Me neither! And mind you, I had to challenge that Wallace guy twice; he didn't make things easy for me. But I'm finally here!" After some more seconds of silence, Josh finally said what I was expecting to hear from him. "Well Emily, what about if we have a battle before facing the Elite Four? The loser will have to stay here, waiting until the other is done with the challenge."

"It sounds good to me." I answered. "Who knows? Maybe one of us will have to snatch the championship from the other."

"There's nothing impossible!" Then Josh smirked a bit. "Well, what about if we start the battle already? I'm saving something for the end!"

"Wow, now I want to know what it is!" I said cheerfully. "Go, Venus!"

"Go, Beowulf!" Josh released his Mightyena, who obviously, seemed to be way stronger than the last time we fought. I allowed Josh to make the first move. "Alright! Beowulf, take down!" The dark type charged at Venus at a very high speed and then tackled her with great force, making Venus fall. It was clear that Josh and his pokémon also improved a lot since the last time!

"Venus, use hydro pump on Beowulf!" After recovering from the impact, Venus blasted a powerful stream of water towards her opponent, which sent Beowulf towards the wall behind him.

"Your pokémon seems to be in a very good shape, but let's see if she will be able to take all what my pokémon has in store! Beowulf, use crunch!" Josh's pokémon bit down on Venus in a way that almost made me fear for her safety. The grip was too strong and she was having a very bad time.

"Venus, defend yourself with dragon tail!" She made Mightyena set her free from his ferocious grip by delivering to him a powerful hit with her tail.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Josh exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Your pokémon is doing really well too!" I complimented him.

"Thank you! Now, let's continue." He paused for a few seconds. "Now Beowulf, use assurance!" Beowulf slammed his head into Venus, which made her have problems to keep herself steady. I am still amazed at how strong Josh's pokémon are, but mine don't have nothing to envy!

"Venus, use aqua tail, go!" Again, Venus hit Beowulf with her tail as a spiral of water formed around it. The attack did a fair amount of damage.

"Beowulf, use take down again!"

"Venus, dodge the attack and use aqua tail once more!" Venus floated in the air, avoiding the attack, before hitting her opponent again. This time, the hit seemed to be more harmful.

"Alright… Beowulf, use snarl!" The dark type bellowed in a very intimidating manner, which left Venus kinda stunned.

"Venus, use hydro pump!" But despite trying it, she couldn't execute the attack. "Alright, no worries!" I encouraged her.

"Beowulf, use assurance again!" Taking advantage of the fact that Venus was still kinda distracted, Beowulf attacked mercilessly. It took a while for Venus to recover from the attack. I had to use a hyperpotion on her.

"It's a pity I just have superpotions left, I think I shouldn't have used all the hyperpotions along the way!" Josh said calmly as he sprayed a superpotion on his pokémon. "Now the battle can last a little longer!"

"True, it sounds like fun!" To be honest, although I was enjoying the battle, I wanted to win and finish as soon as possible so I could go and take on the Elite Four for once and for all.

"Venus, go and use dragon tail with all your power!" It took her a few seconds to get ready but soon, she slammed her tail onto Beowulf's head, which left him very weak.

Josh chuckled knowing that his pokémon was close to being defeated, but apparently he wasn't too worried. "Beowulf, use crunch again!" Josh's pokémon charged at Venus and bit down on her, this time with less intensity.

Getting rid of her opponent's grip was quite easy this time for Venus. "Venus, attack him with aqua tail one last time!" And as I predicted, that was the last attack she executed on Beowulf. After hitting him with her tail, which was surrounded by a spiral of water, Beowulf fell defeated.

Josh had a calm expression on his face. "Alright… Your pokémon did very well! But you must admit that Beowulf did pretty well too."

"That's something I can't deny! But let's continue with the battle. I want to see what that surprise you are saving for the end is!"

"Fine. Go, Flora!" His Cacturne was next. I decided it was time to let Hershey shine.

"You did a great job, Venus!" I congratulated her before returning Venus to her pokéball. Then I sent out Hershey. "You can have the first move this time too." I conceded.

"Thank you! Flora, use sucker punch!" Flora delivered a powerful punch to the stomach to Hershey. The hit left him really injured.

"Wow!" I couldn't help but show my surprise. "I didn't see that coming!"

"See? You aren't the only one who has been training hard! Now I want to see what you'll come up with."

"Alright! Hershey, go on and use return!" Return is an attack which, according to what I heard, varies in intensity depending on how much the pokémon likes his/her trainer. And Hershey must like me a lot, since the attack was pretty strong and did an important damage to Flora. Speaking of that, I must admit that it took a while for Hershey to get up since Flora's attack hit him hard. I was starting to ponder whether to use a hyperpotion or not.

"Your pokémon really trust you, but mine do trust me as well, you'll see! Flora, use venoshock!" The grass and dark type fired a burst of green liquid towards Hershey, which almost sent him against the wall. But this time, Hershey could recover faster from the hit.

"Hershey, use air slash, now!" Hershey flapped his wings, releasing several light blue glowing disc-like energy blades. Those blades slashed Flora and left her quite damaged. But I imagined that Josh wouldn't want to put things easy to us.

After treating Flora with a superpotion, Josh told her to perform her next attack. "Flora, it's time to use payback!" After listening to Josh's command, Flora kicked Hershey with an incredible force. I had to use another hyperpotion on Hershey, which left me with four hyperpotions.

"I see you have a great strategy!" I complimented Josh. "But we aren't going to give up so easily! Hershey, use double team!" Hershey created a copy of himself, using it as a decoy.

"Flora, use venoshock again!" The pokémon was getting ready to attack, but she couldn't finish what she started.

"Hershey, use wing attack!" As the decoy disappeared, Hershey appeared behind Flora and before she could have time to react, Hershey slashed Flora using his left wing. Right after that, the dark and grass type fell flat on her face.

"Flora, get up and use needle arm!" Flora slowly got up from the floor and then she attacked Hershey wildly by swinging one of her thorny arms. The thought of the thorns sticking into Hershey made me feel really uneasy, but I knew it would be okay. The attack didn't hurt him all that much anyway.

"It shouldn't take us any longer any longer than this!" I encouraged Hershey. "Go and use return!" Just like the last time, Hershey flew towards Flora at a great speed and hit her with great force. The victory was almost ours!

"Okay… Flora, use venoshock again!" With the energy she had left, Flora fired a blast of poison at Hershey, which made him go back a few meters.

"Now Hershey, use wing attack!" Hershey flew towards his opponent as both of his wings glowed white. This time, Hershey slashed Flora using his right wing. And just like that, Flora finally fainted. "I must admit it: I admire the way you've been training your pokémon." I said sincerely.

"Thanks a bunch! I like how you are managing your pokémon too. If you defeat me, I think you shouldn't have any problem with the Elite Four." Josh responded right before congratulating Flora for her job and withdrawing her. "Now it's your turn, Opera!" Josh's next pokémon made his appearance. And I noticed Opera evolved, but not noticing it is impossible! Wailord is an enormous pokémon; it's even bigger than Cataegis! But that didn't intimidate me at all.

It was time to let Trevor do his thing. "Hershey, you did great, thanks a lot! Now, return." Then I grabbed Trevor's pokéball. "It's your turn, Trevor!" He was clearly determined; I could tell Trevor wanted to participate in a battle already!

"Now I will let you have the first move."

"Thanks, Josh. Trevor, use leaf blade!" Trevor ran towards his opponent at a great speed before attacking him with the sharp leaves on his right wrist. Although Opera is a really bulky pokémon, Trevor's attack did quite a bit of damage because of his type advantage.

"Opera, go with ice beam!" The gigantic water type fired multiple light blue beams at Trevor. The attack made my pokémon fall backwards.

"Trevor, use gigadrain, now!" The leaves on his wrists glowed green as matching energy beams extended from their tips. After a while, Trevor regained part of his health by absorbing part of Opera's energy through the green beams.

"Opera, use hydro pump!" Opera blasted a powerful spiraling jet of water from his mouth. Once the powerful jet of water reached Trevor, he was sent against the wall behind him. However, it didn't take too long for Trevor to recover from the hit.

"Trevor, use leaf blade again!" This time, Trevor attacked his opponent using both arms. Also, in this occasion the attack was a bit more powerful. I hoped that the battle wouldn't take any longer. There was still Finnegan left and Josh said he had a surprise for the end of the battle. I was starting to figure out what it was…

"Let's try this… Opera, use water spout!" The water type fired a huge blast of water from his blowhole to Trevor. The hit made Trevor go back a few meters, almost hitting the wall.

"Come on Trevor, use dragon claw!" Trevor's right hand glowed light green as he slashed Opera repeatedly. That battle wasn't going to last any longer…

"Opera, use ice beam again!"

"Trevor, dodge it and use leaf blade!" In a heartbeat, Trevor got himself out of the attack's trajectory. Then, he reached Opera and attacked him with both arms at a frantic speed. After that, the colossal water type fainted.

"Good job Opera. Now come back!" Josh said as he withdrew the fainted pokémon. "Well, this is the time… I will show you that secret I wanted to save for this moment."

"Go ahead, I feel impatient!" I answered enthusiastically.

"Alright… It's your turn, Finnegan!"

I nodded approvingly, waiting for whatever Josh wanted to show or say.

"And now, watch this!" Josh took a deep breath before continuing. "Finnegan… MEGA EVOLVE!" An intense light enveloped both Josh and his pokémon as several beams of light connected both Josh's key stone and Finnegan's mega stone, which was embedded in a kneepad. After a short while, Finnegan's new appearance was revealed.

Now he was much bulkier than before, that pokémon seemed capable of delivering really hard hits! But I did want to know how Josh could get both the key stone and the Swampertite, so I asked him without hesitating.

"A few days ago I was taking a stroll through Route 114. While I was there, I spotted an old man who seemed to be selling something, so I approached the man and I asked him what he was selling. But before he could answer, something caught my attention." Josh did a little pause. "I asked that old man what that thing was and he responded saying that it was a Swampertite. I already heard of mega evolution, but I couldn't imagine that I would be able to mega evolve one of my pokémon so easily! So, without hesitating, I bought the Swampertite and he gave a key stone which is also needed to mega evolve a pokémon."

"That's an interesting story… Now let me tell you something." I muttered trying to sound mysterious.

"Yes?"

"I can mega evolve my starter pokémon too!" I exclaimed showing my mega bracelet.

"Wow, that's very cool! How did you get the Sceptilite?" Josh asked with curiosity.

I blushed all of sudden "Uh, well… A... a beloved friend gave it to me."

"Ha, I see!" I made myself too obvious, but Josh didn't give importance to it. "Now I want to see what your pokémon can do with mega evolution!"

"I'll show you! Trevor, MEGA EVOLVE!" The same process that with Josh and Finnegan repeated. After a short while, Trevor mega evolved too. Now we were at the same level! "I grant you the first move again." I said calmly.

"Alright, thank you! Finnegan, take down!" The muscular pokémon approached Trevor at an incredibly high speed and then tackled him with a brutal energy. Obviously, that sent Trevor right to the floor.

"Trevor, don't let him go away! Use leaf blade!" Before Finnegan could get up, Trevor slashed his face using the sharp leaves on both wrists. The water and ground type pokémon stepped back immediately, taking both hands to his face.

"That was very clever!" Josh complimented my choice. "But I can be clever too. Finnegan, go with ice beam!" In the blink of an eye, Finnegan fired a blue beam from his mouth, which impacted on Trevor. The attack damaged Trevor a lot.

It was very difficult for Trevor to get back on his feet. He was about to faint, I had to use a hyperpotion on him, which left me with three of them. I hoped I wouldn't have to use a hyperpotion on this battle anymore…

"Trevor, use dragon claw!" Trevor approached Finnegan at a very high speed and soon, he was frantically attacking his opponent. It was clear that Trevor recovered all of his energy!

"Finnegan, use muddy water before he can walk away!" All of sudden, Finnegan released multiple streams of brown water from his body. Most of the water splashed in Trevor's eyes, which hindered his sight for a while.

"Trevor, attack him with leaf blade!" But Trevor couldn't do anything; he was still trying to take the muddy water out of his eyes.

"Quick, use take down again!" Since Trevor couldn't see a thing, Josh took advantage of the situation. His pokémon brutally tackled Trevor, just like before.

"Trevor, try to open your eyes again and use leaf blade!" Following my command, Trevor attacked Finnegan with his left arm. Finally, he could see clearly again!

"Alright… Finnegan, use ice beam again!" Finnegan got ready to attack once more, but I wouldn't allow Trevor to get hit once again by that attack.

"Trevor, dodge the attack and use X-Scissor!" Trevor crossed his arms as the sharp leaves on his wrists glowed white. Then, he ran towards Finnegan and once he reached his opponent, Trevor began slashing the water and ground type in an "X" like pattern.

"Wow… But we still won't give up! Finnegan, use brick break!" Finnegan's right handed glowed white as he delivered a powerful hit to Trevor, right on his head. That made me feel really concerned, since Trevor seemed to have quite a few problems keeping his balance after that.

"Trevor, use gigadrain, now!" After wavering a bit, Trevor finally executed the attack. A green beam of light went from Finnegan to Trevor's tail, thus absorbing part of Finnegan's energy. We were finally close to winning the battle!

"Well…" Josh took a deep breath. "Finnegan, use muddy water!"

"Trevor, cover your eyes!" As I told him, Trevor covered his eyes with both hands to avoid getting blinded again. But either way, the hit made Trevor go back a couple of meters. But that was nothing. "And now, let's finish this… Trevor, use X-Scissor!" Like the first time, Trevor crossed his arms and ran towards Finnegan. After that, Trevor slashed at his opponent repeatedly and at an incredible speed. And finally, Finnegan fainted.

I could tell Josh was upset, but he did his best to hide it. He looked during a few seconds at Finnegan. Meanwhile, I congratulated Trevor before making him return to his pokéball.

"Finnegan, you did a great job today. Now, return!" Then he looked at me, cracking a smile. "You won. So I'll be waiting here until you finish with all of them!"

"Guess what? You can go first if you want to!" I offered kindly, not being sure how would he react.

"No, the rules are the rules, you go first. It is fine, I can wait!" Josh assured effusively.

"Really?"

"Really! Now go and usurp the throne!" He was actually encouraging me!

"Haha, I will try! Who knows, maybe you will have to fight me after you defeat the Elite Four members!" I said knowing that it's something very improbable.

"Well, there's nothing impossible!"

"Oh, one more thing…" I muttered.

"Shoot it."

I felt a bit shy, but I had to say it. "You know, although we are rivals, you can count on me as a friend. I know we started out a bit badly, but things have gotten better, right?"

Josh seemed a bit surprised, but his answer was positive. "Of course! Many people have friendly rivalries, why not us too?" After that, we gave each other a friendly fist bump.

"And now, let me tell you something that you won't believe!" I giggled.

"What is it?"

"Will you believe me if I told you that I spent a day with Lisia?" I said as I raised my eyebrows.

"NO, YOU DIDN'T! How? When? Why?" Josh was clearly very excited about that!

"Well, when I was trying to reach Mossdeep City, I got lost and I ended up in an unknown island. It turned out that Lisia was on vacations for a few days on that island. So, I went to find her and she gave me the directions to reach Mossdeep and after that, she invited me to stay with her for a while!" I finished the explanation with a wide grin as I watched Josh's reaction.

"Wow you… you are so lucky! You could have gotten her number for me or something!" Josh was redder than a tomato.

"Haha, I didn't think about that! But maybe you will see her again one of these days, when your sister participates in a contest. Then, you might ask Lisia for your number yourself!"

"Umm… I don't know if I will have enough courage, you know." He chuckled nervously.

"Well, in life there are risks which are worth taking…" I said remembering what my mom told me a couple of weeks ago.

"True… Like taking on the Elite Four!" Josh exclaimed cheerfully.

"Exactly!"

"I don't want to keep yourself from getting there so… Go ahead and do your best!" Josh cheered as he raised his thumb.

"I will!" I exclaimed as I mimicked his gesture.

We said goodbye to each other and I kept walking. I wasn't too far away. The exit of Victory Road is a beautiful place: it's full of flowers and there are several waterfalls. I could already see the Pokémon League building from the distance: an enormous red building with several floors. I couldn't wait to reach it!

And that didn't take me too long; after ten minutes, I was right in front of the door. That place is even more imposing when you are right there: I can't help but look back at my journey and see how far I've come. Along with my team, I've been through lots of different things, both good and bad ones. That's something I kept in mind as I walked through the door that led me into the Pokémon League building.

And I'm still keeping that in mind now that I'm about to challenge the Elite Four. You might think that I'm done telling my story, but I'm pretty sure that no matter what happens today, I'll still have many more things to tell!


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: Vs. Sidney**

This is an extremely imposing place. I can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now! I feel so nervous that I would even pay in order to be acknowledged as the champion without having to undergo all these battles… But I didn't make it there for nothing; I'm willing to fight along with my pokémon as we do our best!

There are two counters: one in which the pokémon are healed and another in which they sell stuff as hyperpotions and such. I quickly walk towards the counter where a nurse awaits. As I give her the pokéballs belonging to my team members, she smiles. I can tell the nurse wants to talk a bit.

"Is this your first time here?" She asks kindly.

"Yes! I earned my last gym badge two weeks ago. I spent the last two weeks training in Victory Road!"

"Wow, I see you are taking this very seriously!"

"As it must be! But either way, I feel very nervous." I admit as the young woman gives me the pokéballs back.

"Well, that's pretty understandable! You are about to face the region's strongest trainers, anybody would feel anxious over that. But all you have to do is focus in your goals and trust your pokémon."

Her words make me feel a tad bit more confident. "Thank you! I will keep all that in mind." I say before walking away. And now, my phone starts ringing. It's my mom! Mom and dad probably want to wish me luck before I take on the first Elite Four member.

"Emily? It's me! Are you in the Pokémon League building yet?" She asks without hiding her excitement.

"Yes! I just healed my pokémon. Now I will get my badges checked so I can finally challenge the first member."

"Well, I don't think you have a problem with that since you have all of them!"

"Yes! I feel very nervous… Do you think I will do fine?" That's all I can think now.

"Of course! You saved the entire planet, right? You shouldn't be nervous over battling a bunch of trainers!" She's absolutely right. I should calm down a bit!

"I agree! I will make sure I do my best! I know my pokémon are strong enough for this challenge!"

"That's it! Now, do you want to talk a bit with your dad?"

"Of course!" I answer happily.

A few seconds go by until I hear my dad's voice at the other side. "Emily! Are you ready to kick some butts?"

"Absolutely! My pokémon are willing to have a good battle, although we had a pretty interesting one not long ago."

"Really? Who was your opponent?" Dad asks with curiosity.

"Josh, my rival. His pokémon are pretty good! I'm more than ready for the Elite Four!"

"I'm glad to hear that! But listen, as we told you some time ago, if you can't defeat the champion it will fine. You'll still be a winner to us!"

"Thanks dad, I feel pretty confident but I am cautious as well. Maybe I won't make it past the Elite Four!" This is a probable possibility.

"Hey, we think you can easily defeat those Elite Four members! Now go and get them!" Dad says cheerfully, although I can tell mom is snatching the phone from his hands.

"Yes, go and teach them a lesson!" Mom seems to be more excited than I am!

"If anything, I am the one who has to learn something from them, but I will make sure I show them what my pokémon and me are capable of doing!"

"YEEEEES!" She lets out an almost deafening squeal. "Go and do your best! We won't keep you from getting your badges checked any longer. Good luck and don't forget to trust your team and yourself!"

"Yes, that's very important! We wish the best to you!"

"Thanks, mom and dad! No matter what happens today, it will be an amazing experience!" I hang up and I put the phone back to my bag. The moment of truth has arrived!

I walk with the determination towards the door that separates me from the rooms were the Elite Four members await their challengers. Said door is flanked by two ace trainers. The one standing at the left approaches me.

"Only trainers who have collected all eight gym badges may go beyond this point. Please permit us to evaluate your worthiness, trainer."

I give him the case where I keep all my gym badges. After taking a quick glance and showing it to his partner, the two young men nod approvingly.

"Trainer! Believe in yourself and your pokémon, and go forth!"

"Thank you!" I say barely hiding my enthusiasm.

I take a deep breath as both men open the door for me. The moment I've been waiting for so long has finally arrived! After a few more seconds, I finally walk across the door and then… that door closes. But suddenly, I remember something: I forgot to buy hyperpotions and I just have three left!

I try to open the door but it's impossible, it's locked. Literally, I can't turn back. I just can hope to have good luck. It's terrible… How could I forget about that?!

But I decide to stop whining. After all, doing that won't make me get more hyperpotions! I realize I'm standing on a red bridge, which leads me to a hut with lots of windows, I can tell the lights are on. As I walk towards it, the doors open. Clearly, there's someone inside! Right at this moment, my heart beats faster than a subway train. There are always two options: Fight and flight… And I'm choosing to fight!

I keep walking towards the open doors as millions of orange flakes fall around me. Honestly, I have no idea what that's meant to represent. A sandstorm, maybe? Does that mean I am going to face a ground type expert? Great! With Trevor, that shouldn't be a problem!

I finally make my entrance to the hut: in the middle of the room, there's a man sitting on a black chair. He appears to be on his late twenties or early thirties… and let it all be said; his appearance is a bit intimidating. But either way, I approach him. It's time to start the battle! The man gets up from his chair to greet me.

"Welcome, challenger! I'm Sidney of the Elite Four."

"Nice to meet you! My name is Emily." I greet back trying to hide my nervousness.

"I like that look you're giving me. I guess you'll give me a good match!"

"I will try!" I exclaim anxiously.

"That's good! Looking real good!" After smirking a bit, he continues "All right! Let's get down to the kind of battle that can only happen here in the Pokémon League! Go Mightyena!"

"Alright… Come on, Trevor! This is the moment we've been waiting for!" Trevor emits a powerful cry as soon as he comes out of the pokéball. I'm pretty sure Trevor will be able to deal with this. Although you can never know what to expect from the Elite Four…

"I will allow you to make the first move!" I can't believe Sidney is allowing me to do this. What if he thinks I'm weak? I will show Sidney how wrong he is right now!

"Thank you! Trevor, use X Scissor!"

"Mightyena, defend yourself with crunch!" Before Trevor can reach him, Mightyena jumps towards Trevor and proceeds to bit hard on him. This battle will be intense, very intense… And Sidney is just the first member of the Elite Four!

"Trevor, retaliate with X Scissor right now!" Taking advantage of the fact that the dark type is so close to him, Trevor crosses his arms and slashes at Mightyena. The powerful hit makes Mightyena step back in the blink of an eye.

"Very smart! I bet you didn't have any problem on your way there." The compliment from Sidney makes me smile proudly, but this is not the time to get distracted! Sidney is about to tell Mightyena to use his next attack. "Mightyena, use take down, now!" Obeying his trainer's order, Mightyena runs towards Trevor at a high speed and then slams into him.

"Trevor, attack him with leaf blade!" As I tell Trevor to attack, I think about my critical situation regarding hyperpotions. I must be very careful with them, since I only have three. I won't use them unless it's strictly necessary! And now, going back to the battle, I observe how Trevor slashes at Mightyena using his right arm. The attack does an acceptable amount of damage.

"Mightyena, attack him with sucker punch!" Mightyena jumps into the air and slams his two front paws into Trevor's stomach, making him fall on his knees as he flinches.

"Trevor, go with gigadrain!" A beam of green light goes from Mightyena to Trevor's tail. This way, he can regain health without having to use a hyperpotion. I notice how the dark type already seems to be feeling weaker than before. That's very, very good!

"Mightyena, go and use take down again!" The Elite Four member commands. But I won't let Trevor be hit again!

"Trevor, avoid the attack and use X Scissor!" Trevor leaps out of the way, leaving Mightyena kinda confused. After that, Trevor crosses his arms and slashes Mightyena with a graceful movement. The dark type looks even weaker than before! We are close to defeating our first pokémon of the Elite Four!

"Mightyena, surprise him and use swagger!" Before I can react, Mightyena lets out a loud roar, which upsets Trevor quite a bit. I was wrong; we'll still have to work a bit more!

"It's okay Trevor. Use leaf blade!" I watch astonished how my pokémon is attacking himself. "Trevor, stop it! Now!" A few seconds pass by and finally, he stops. This is a big problem!

"Mightyena, use crunch!" The dark type leaps towards Trevor as I watch helplessly how Mightyena viciously attacks him. Mightyena is still looking weak, but now he can do with Trevor almost whatever he wants.

I ponder what to do next: if Trevor uses X Scissor, he will probably faint. I discard the X Scissor option. Gigadrain? Would he drain his own energy? That doesn't make sense. I watch how Trevor trashes around as I finally make my decision.

"Trevor, use gigadrain!" He staggers a bit but finally, Trevor gets back some energy from Mightyena. Great!

"Okay… Mightyena, go with sucker punch once more!" Like the last time, Mightyena propels himself using his hind legs and then slams his front paws into Trevor's stomach. This time, the attack isn't so intense and Trevor is able to keep his balance, albeit with a bit of difficulty.

My next decision is quite risky. "Trevor, use X Scissor!" And I couldn't have made a worse choice. Trevor executes the attack… on himself. He falls to the floor instantly.

I approach him to check if he has fainted or not. That would be a problem, since I have no revives left. I'm so dumb! But for my surprise, Trevor is actually still conscious, although very close to fainting. I have no other choice but using a hyperpotion. Immediately, Trevor is back on his feet, but he still seems to be a bit confused. I must be careful this time!

"Mightyena, take down!" Mightyena starts to run towards Trevor.

"Trevor, dodge it and use dragon claw!" Trevor doesn't move a muscle and he ends up being hit. Ugh, I hate when my pokémon get confused!

"Your pokémon is a tough cookie, huh? Mightyena, crunch!" Sidney commands with a fiery enthusiasm. His pokémon attacks with equal enthusiasm.

"Trevor, focus and try to use dragon claw!" I hold my breath as I watch Trevor actually attacking his opponent instead of himself. He attacks Mightyena by slashing him with the claws on his left hand. And then… Mightyena faints.

I watch astonished how Sidney withdraws Mightyena and sends out a Shiftry, who makes some sort of dance right after being released from the pokéball.

"I see you are still trying to believe what just happened!" Sidney chuckles.

"Yes, I… I am!" I blink a couple of times and then I look at the Shiftry. Obviously, Hershey is the best option here. "You did an amazing job, Trevor. Now, come back!" I put Trevor's pokéball on my bag and then I reach for Hershey's pokéball. I throw the device as I feel an indescribable sensation. I feel very proud of myself and Trevor! "It's your turn, Hershey!" Hershey lets out a loud chirp.

"Heh, great choice! Shiftry, go with fake out!" The grass and dark type claps together the big leaves on his arms. That makes Hershey flinch but I don't care. This should be easy!

"Hmm, that was a great choice too!" I state calmly.

"Why, thank you! Now Shiftry, use extrasensory!" Shiftry's eyes glow gold and he releases a rainbow colored beam from his mouth. The beam hits Hershey and makes him go back a few meters.

"Hershey, attack with air slash!" His wings glow light blue as he flaps them, releasing multiple light blue glowing saw disk-like energy blades. All of the blades slash Shiftry at a high speed.

I watch how Shiftry falls on his knees; the attack has damaged him a lot. It looks like we landed a critical hit!

"No worries Shiftry!" My satisfaction doesn't last long; Sidney heals his pokémon with a full restore. This battle will be longer than I wanted! "Shiftry, use feint attack!" The grass and dark type performs a little dance, distracting Hershey. And now, he jumps into the air and hits him using both arms.

"Hershey, go and use air slash again!" Hershey executes the attack just like before. This time, it did a good amount of damage as well, but not as much as before. Either way, this shouldn't take too long…

"Doing this is not very clever but anyway… Shiftry, use leaf blade!" The three leaves in Shiftry's right arm glow as he slashes Hershey with them. The hit makes Hershey lose his balance a bit, but that's all.

"Hershey, attack with return!" Hershey flies towards Shiftry at a high speed and tackles him down. The hit has been quite powerful, which means that we are close to taking Shiftry down. I just hope Sidney doesn't use another full restore!

"Feint attack!" Shiftry gets ready to do his little distracting dance again, but I won't allow that to work this time.

"Wing attack!" Hershey flies towards Shiftry as both wings glow white. Then, he hits the grass and dark type with his left wing. We are close to defeating Shiftry!

"Shiftry, use extrasensory!" Just like the last time, his eyes glow gold as he releases a rainbow colored beam from his mouth, which surprisingly hits Hershey a bit harder than the last time, but it's no big deal.

"Hershey, finish with air slash!" Hershey flaps his wings as he releases several light blue energy blades. And this time, these very blades make Shiftry faint. Great! Another victory, another step in the right direction!

"You did good Shiftry! Now it's your time, Cacturne!" Great, I'm hoping this one will be easy too!

"Hershey, use return!" Just like before, Hershey flies towards Cacturne and knocks him down, but the grass and dark type gets back on his feet very quickly.

"Cacturne, retaliate with payback!" Cacturne delivers a powerful kick to Hershey, which reminds me a lot of my battle against Josh.

The hit lets Hershey lying on the floor. I quickly approach him to see if he's alright, but Hershey gets up as if nothing happened. What a relief!

"Alright Hershey, use wing attack!" As soon as I finish the sentence, Hershey flies towards Cacturne as his wings glow white and then slashes his rival with his right wing. The attack does an acceptable amount of damage.

"Cacturne, use needle arm before he flies away!" Cacturne's right arm glows white as he starts to swing it wildly. Right before Hershey can try to dodge the attack Cacturne hits him, sending Hershey right to my side.

"Hershey, go with double team!" Hershey's body glows white and multiple copies of himself appear.

"That's very interesting!" Sidney exclaims enthusiastically. "Cacturne, try to find who the real one is and use needle arm!" The grass and dark type stares at every single copy of Hershey. He seems to feel a bit dubitative, but finally decides "who" to attack. Fortunately, it's just a copy.

I take advantage of the situation. "Hershey, use air slash now!" A ball of wind gathers in front of Hershey's left wing and it throws it at Cacturne.

"Cacturne, spiky shield!" Cacturne puts his fists together and a green force field covered with spikes surrounds him. Hershey's attack failed, so I wait until the force field fades away. Luckily, it starts to fade out just now.

"Hershey, use return!" My pokémon flies towards Cacturne, who seems to be a bit distracted, and knocks him down. This time, it takes longer for him to stand up. We are close to defeating yet another one of Sidney's pokémon!

"Cacturne, attack him with payback!"

"Hershey, fly away from him and use air slash once more!" Obeying my command, Hershey flies away from Cacturne as a ball of wind gathers in front of his right wing. Then, Hershey throws that ball at Cacturne. The hit finally defeats him! "Well done Hershey!" I congratulate him as he returns to my side.

"That was intense! Can't wait to see what you do next. Go, Sharpedo!" Now Sidney sends out to the battle field a pokémon I'm already very familiar with. This one must be very easy! Obviously, I decide to send out Trevor.

"Trevor, go with X Scissor!" As I tell him, Trevor crosses his arms and runs towards Sharpedo. Then, he slashes the dual typed pokémon with both arms in an "X" like pattern. As I predicted, the attack does a good amount of damage.

"Sharpedo, use crunch, come on!" Sharpedo's fangs glow white as he chomps on Trevor's left arm. His grip is tight, and I'm going to take advantage of that.

"Trevor, attack him with leaf blade!" With his right arm, Trevor slashes at Sharpedo until the water and dark type let's his other arm go.

"You don't stop surprising me, girl!" Sidney says cheerfully. "Now Sharpedo, use slash!" Sharpedo launches himself towards Trevor and slashes him with his upper fin, which is glowing white.

"Trevor, go with X Scissor again!"

"Quick Sharpedo, use poison fang!" Sharpedo's fangs glow purple and in the blink of an eye, he's attached to Trevor's left arm, just like the last time. But in this occasion, Trevor is not only hurt, he's also getting progressively weaker because of the poison. Why didn't I see this coming?

As soon as Sharpedo lets Trevor go, he falls to the floor. I approach him to check if he's alright. Surprisingly, Trevor didn't faint; I can see him moving a bit. I'm being too lucky today! But either way, he's very weak. I have no other choice but using a hyperpotion on Trevor. And now that I'm treating him, I realize I just have a hyperpotion left. I must be very careful, I can't waste it!

Since I've been healing my pokémon, I allow Sidney to move next. "Fine, thank you!" He says. "Sharpedo, use slash again!" Just like before, Sharpedo attacks Trevor by slashing him with his upper fin. Unexpectedly, at least for me, the attack does quite a bit of damage. But a hyperpotion is not necessary.

"Trevor, gigadrain!" Trevor absorbs part of Sharpedo's energy through the seeds on his back. I can already see that Sharpedo is starting to feel weak. Thank Arceus for the type matchups!

"Sharpedo, go with crunch!" Again, the water and dark type fiercely bites down on Trevor, this time on his right leg. But in this occasion the grip is not so powerful.

And that's why I tell Trevor to release himself from Sharpedo. He only has to shake his leg a bit to make the tired pokémon let him go. "And now, use leaf blade!" In the blink of an eye, Trevor slashes Sharpedo with both arms. And voilà, another one bites the dust! "Great job, Trevor!" I cheer with excitement.

"Look, now I'm down to my last pokémon! Go, Absol!" A magnificent white pokémon makes his appearance in the arena. I let Trevor stay, since I think he won't have any problem.

This time, is Sidney's pokémon the one who attacks first. "Absol, use night slash!" His claws turn dark purple and slashes Trevor with them. The attack is quite powerful, to be honest! But Trevor has taken the hit very well.

"Trevor, show him what you can do! Use dragon claw!" Trevor's claws glow light green as he slashes Absol repeatedly. Trevor also manages to deliver a powerful hit!

"Now Absol, use aerial ace!" The dark type jumps left and right as his horn glows white and now, he jumps towards Trevor and slashes him with his horn. It looks like this hit has been even harder than the last one. It might sound bad, but I don't want to use the hyperpotion. Not now!

"Trevor please, get up!" I command without hiding my concern. He struggles but finally, Trevor manages to stand up. "Perfect, well done! Now use gigadrain!" Trevor gets to regain part of his energy by taking in part of Absol's energy through the seeds on his back. That hyperpotion sure can wait!

"Absol, attack with psycho cut!" Absol releases a purple crescent-like blade from his horn, which impacts on Trevor and makes him fall backwards.

"Trevor, respond with X Scissor!" Following my order, Trevor gets up and runs towards Absol with his arms crossed. Then, Trevor attacks Absol by slashing him in an "X" like pattern. The attack does a great amount of damage. Ah, I want to move on to the next member already!

"Absol, use slash again!" Absol's horn glows white as he runs towards Trevor. In no time, Absol slashes Trevor with his horn. The hit makes Trevor fall to the floor but with a bit of effort, he finally manages to stand up.

"Trevor, go with X Scissor!" Like all the other times, Trevor crosses his arms and runs towards Absol. This time, the hits leave the dark type at the edge.

"Okay Absol, use aerial ace!"

"Trevor, avoid the attack and use gigadrain!" A green beam of light goes from Absol to Trevor's tail. I hold my breath as I watch the scene unfolding before me. And finally… Absol faints.

That means we are already done with the first Elite Four member! I can't help but jump for joy! Then, I hug Trevor. "You did a great job, thank you!" I return him to his pokéball and I turn around to face Sidney since I think he will have something to say. And indeed, he does.

"Well, how do you like that? I lost! Eh, it was fun, so it doesn't matter." Sidney doesn't seem to be angry, quite the opposite, he actually looks pretty satisfied! And he's not done talking yet. "Well, listen to what this loser has to say. You've got what it takes to go a long way! Go on to the next room and challenge your next battle!"

"Thank you Sidney! I will do my best!"

Now I'm ready to go to the next room. I have no idea who I will have to fight next, but I know I my pokémon can do it, no matter what comes next!


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: Vs. Phoebe**

I see a door opening at the back of the room. It's time to go ahead and challenge the next Elite Four member! I walk across the door with confidence. As the door closes behind me, I can't help but stare in awe at the scenery: thousands of lavender flowers hang from the ceiling and huge lotus flowers float in the water under the bridge. Also, the hut where the next member awaits is quite different. It transmits me an eerie feeling, but I won't let that scare me!

The door opens again as I walk towards the hut. I notice how the eerie feel intensifies. Far from scaring me, that helps me to get an idea of which kind of pokémon the next member trains. And as I cross the door, I finally face her: she's a girl who seems to be a couple of years younger than me. Also, she appears to be quite eager to fight! Heh, she's not the only one!

"Hahaha! I'm Phoebe of the Elite Four." She says quite cheerfully without stopping moving.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Emily." I introduce myself as I start to feel something strange in the environment.

"I did my training on Mount Pyre. While I trained there, I gained the ability to commune with ghost-type pokémon." And as she talks, I suddenly spot a little girl sitting in the chair on the back. She wasn't there before!

"Excuse me, w-who is she?!" My hands tremble as I point towards the chair but surprisingly… nobody is there.

"Who? There's just you and me! I can assure the only ghosts there are my ghost-type pokémon, hahaha!" This seems to amuse Phoebe. Well, to me is nothing to laugh about!

"Alright then…" I mutter.

"The bond I developed with my pokémon is extremely tight. Come on! Just try and see if you can even inflict damage on my pokémon! Go Dusclops!" A roundish gray pokémon appears. Her appearance is quite scary, to be honest. But I can take it!

"You shouldn't underestimate me. Go Venus!" I think Venus can do well in this battle. I'm not used to deal with ghost types, I hope this turns out well!

"Alrighty! Dusclops, use shadow punch!" Dusclops's hands become outlined in a gray aura. Now, she punches the air and a black shadowy fist comes out of her hand, outlined in a gray aura. Now, that ghostly fist hits Venus a couple of times. The hit is strong, but it takes so much more to take Venus down!

"Venus, use aqua tail, go!" The end of Venus's tail gets covered in a spiral of water. I watch how she hits Dusclops with her tail. Now, the ghost type falls to floor.

"Wow, your pokémon is stronger than I expected! But keep in mind that this has just started. Dusclops, use future sight!" Dusclop's red eye glows, but nothing else happens. Is this all?

Anyway, it's time to tell Venus to attack. "Venus, use dragon tail!"

"Now, Dusclops!" As soon as Phoebe utters these words, Dusclops avoids Venus's attack and fires a light blue ball of energy towards her. So, that's what future sight is for!

"Hahaha! Surprised?" Phoebe is quite amused. "Dusclops, use confuse ray, now!" The ghost type's red eye glows as it emits a bright purple light. I can't allow Venus to become confused!

"Venus, try to ignore it and use aqua tail!" Venus stands still, I'm afraid she has been confused… But suddenly, she does execute the attack successfully! "Well done!" I cheer. She was probably focusing or something.

"Huh, okay! Dusclops, use shadow punch!" Just like before, a shadowy fist attacked Venus. This Dusclops seems to be a hard cookie!

"Alright Venus, go with hydro pump!" She blasts a powerful jet of water out of her mouth, which almost sends Dusclops against the wall.

"Dusclops, try to use confuse ray again!" Dusclops's eye glows once again.

And this time, despite my orders and warnings, Venus ends up getting confused. Such a big problem we have here!

"Well… Venus, use ice beam!" But Venus doesn't listen and she ends up slamming her face into the ground.

"Hahaha! Dusclops, use shadow punch again!" As Dusclops attacks poor Venus again, I dedicate a stern glance at Phoebe. Nobody laughs at my pokémon's expense!

"Venus, focus on that pokémon as much as you can and use dragon tail!" I can tell Venus is doing her best to follow my instructions.

"Well Dusclops, use…" But Phoebe gets cut all of sudden.

As I told her, Venus slams her tail into the ghost type's head, sending her to the ground with a great racket. How can a ghost be so noisy?

"Hey, that was quite surprising! Dusclops, future sight, now!" Dusclops's eye glows light blue, just like the last time. I know she's expecting Venus to make a move.

"Venus, use aqua tail and try to do it just like before!" Venus tries her best, but she ends up hitting herself.

And then she also ends up being hit by Dusclops's previous attack. This Elite Four member is way more complicated than I thought…

"Dusclops, go with shadow punch once more!" Phoebe says quite cheerfully. Does she think I'm going to give up any soon? She's totally wrong!

"Venus, go with hydro pump!" She is staggering a bit, I hope Venus doesn't end up hitting herself once again! "Do it, Venus!" I say mentally. And as if she heard me, Venus successfully hits Dusclops and after that… the ghost type faints.

"Incredible, you took down one of my pokémon!" Phoebe exclaims as she withdraws Dusclops. "Well done Dusclops. Now it's your turn, Banette!" Phoebe throws another pokéball. This time, a very sinister looking pokémon appears. That pokémon has a zipper as her mouth!

I decide to switch my pokémon, Venus needs to rest. "Good job Venus, now take a break!" I decide to send out TTrevor. I throw his pokéball as I look furtively at the ghost type. Banette is creepy, but I can't avoid to look at her!

"I will let you have the first move this time!" Phoebe says loudly, making me snap out of my thoughts.

"Oh, thank you! Trevor, use dragon claw!" Trevor's claws glow bright green and he slashes Banette with his left hand. The ghost type is utterly displeased!

"Banette, respond with shadow ball!" The doll like pokémon forms a dark purple ball between her hands. Now, she throws it at Trevor, causing him a moderate damage.

"Now Trevor, use leaf blade!" As I tell him, Trevor runs towards his opponent and slashes her with the leaves on his right wrist.

"Banette, use spite!" Banette gives Trevor a grudge, now he looks puzzled. It seems like he will be unable to use leaf blade for a little while… Ugh!

"Okay… Trevor, use dragon claw again!" Instantly, he charges at Banette and attacks her, this time using his right hand.

"Banette, feint attack!" Banette floats towards Trevor with a sly expression. Now that she has reached Trevor, Banette points to the left, which distracts Trevor. It's now when Banette takes the chance and delivers a pretty hard hit to Trevor. Wow, she's small but effective!

"Trevor, go with X Scissor!" Trevor quickly approaches Banette with his arms crossed. Now, he opens his arms and slashes the ghost type in the process.

"Shadow ball, go!" Phoebe promptly tells her pokémon which is the next attack to use. Still a bit stunned, Banette fires a dark purple ball right to Trevor's face. Once it hits, my pokémon takes both hands to his face. That must have hurt quite a bit!

Just now, I remember Trevor is still unable to use leaf blade, so I make him use another attack instead. "Go with dragon claw!" Both of Trevor's claw glow bright green and he strikes Banette with his left hand. Trevor has delivered a really hard hit! If we are lucky, he might take down that Banette in no time.

"Banette, now it's time for Will-O-Wisp!" Banette's mouth suddenly opens and she fires several blue fireballs from it towards Trevor, which results on him getting a burn…

…and that's terrible, because I don't have any burn heal. I watch how Trevor glows in a red hue and also, it's pretty obvious that he is in pain. I wish I could do something, I hate to see Trevor like this!

But all I can do is tell him to use another attack and hope he can at least take Banette down. "Trevor, use X Scissor!" While Trevor gets ready to attack, I search in my bag for anything I can use to cure the burn. I must have something!

And just now, I realize that Trevor already attacked Bannete, but the hit has been very weak. All because of Trevor's condition. I wish there was something useful on my bag!

"Banette, go with feint attack!" I still rummage through my bag as I still try to keep an eye on the battle at the same time. And finally, I find it…

…a Lum berry! Actually, I have two. Yes, my intuition told me that I had something for burns on my bag! I quickly give it to Trevor, who starts to feel better almost instantly. But, since I spent my turn healing my pokémon, now it's Phoebe's turn again.

"Will-O-Wisp, now!" Woah, how dare she do that?

"Trevor, dodge the attack and use dragon claw again!" In a split second, Trevor runs towards his opponent, dodging the fireballs. However, I notice he isn't moving as fast as usual, he must be feeling a bit tired! But either way, Trevor executes the attack successfully.

"Okay Banette, use shadow ball!" Once more, the ghost type throws a dark purple ball at Trevor. Despite trying it, he can't avoid the attack. But I think the battle is going to end anyway; Banette looks exhausted.

"Trevor, gigadrain!" Trevor absorbs Banette's energy through his tail and yes, the creepy ghost type faints!

"Welp, another pokémon down! Good job, Banette!" Phoebe says calmly as she returns Banette to her pokéball. "This is your turn, Sableye!" A small, purple pokémon comes out from the pokéball. His eyes are actually diamonds… What's with the pokémon with strange body parts? He also has a red gemstone on his chest. I think Steven would love this pokémon!

Again, I switch out my pokémon. This time, I make Venus go back to the battlefield, not without congratulating Trevor first. He did a great job so far, not only on his battle against Banette, but also against Sidney. If we make it to the champion, I'm pretty sure he will be one of the keys to success!

But for now, I must focus on the current battle. Phoebe moves first this time. "Sableye, use fake out!" Sableye claps his hands together, causing a large shockwave of air, which pushes Venus back. Heh, smart move! Phoebe just made us lose a turn. "Now, use shadow claw!" The claws on Sableye's right hand glow black with a purple outline. It's now when he strikes Venus with his claws, making her wince and go backwards once again.

But now it's finally our turn. "Venus, hit him with aqua tail!" The end of her tail becomes surrounded by a spiral of water and she hits Sableye with it, which sends the dark and ghost type a few meters back.

"Sableye, attack with shadow claw again!" Just like before, a dark purple aura envelops Sableye's left hand. Now, he strikes Venus with it. This time the hit is a bit harder than before.

"Venus, go with dragon tail!"

"Sableye, foul play!" When Venus is about to hit him, Sableye grabs her tail and for some reason I can't explain, he manages to throw Venus away. That's quite a harsh hit! The odds are against us now…

Luckily, Venus manages to recover from the hit, albeit it takes her quite a bit of effort to do so. "Venus, use hydro pump, now!" Venus blasts a powerful spiraling jet of water from her mouth towards Sableye. The attack sends the dual typed pokémon against the wall. Fantastic!

"Don't panic, Sableye! Use power gem!" The red gemstone on Sableye's chest starts to glow. Now, a pale pink beam of energy comes out from Sableye's gem and it hits Venus. Fortunately, the attack does very little damage.

"Venus, use ice beam!" Venus fires an icy blue beam towards Sableye, who stumbles a bit before falling. Wow, are we really this close to defeating him?

"Sableye, shadow claw!" A dark aura surrounds his right hand as a claw shaped energy forms. Now, that claw strikes Venus, but with a little less vigour than before.

"Venus, attack with aqua tail now!" If she hits Sableye, the battle might end here.

But Phoebe has different plans… "Sableye, retaliate with foul play!" Just like before, Sableye grabs Venus's tail and throws her away. But either way, Sableye is exhausted and the hit Venus received is not very powerful this time.

"Now Venus, dragon tail!" Quickly, Venus slams her tail into Sableye's head, which finally makes him bite the dust. That was quick!

"It looks like I underestimated you… But I still have two pokémon left. Go, Banette!" Huh, another Banette?

I look at Venus and I decide to let her rest again. I'm pretty sure I will need her again later. "Good job Venus! Now, return!" Now is Hershey the one I send out to the arena. He shouldn't have a problem with Banette!

"Banette, start with shadow ball!" Following Phoebe's orders, Banette throws a dark purple ball towards Hershey. My pokémon, who is keeping himself on the air, almost loses his balance. But luckily, Hershey manages to keep himself steady.

"Hershey, go with wing attack!" Both of Hershey's wings glow white as he flies towards the ghost type. Now, he strikes Banette with his left wing, almost sending the sinister looking ghost type to the floor.

"Banette, hit with psychic!" Banette's eyes glow light blue and an aura of the same color surrounds Hershey. I watch before my eyes how Banette slams Hershey against the floor several times, moving him at his will thanks to his psychic powers. "Enough!" Banette only stops after his trainer tells him to do so.

I think Banette has been too hard on Hershey. Hershey is having a hard time trying to take off, I'm starting to think that I will have to use the last hyperpotion… But now I watch how finally Hershey manages to take flight. I can't help but let out a cheer.

And now, it's finally time for him to attack. "Hershey, go with air slash!" Hershey flaps his wings as several blades of wind appear. Banette is unable to dodge them, which needless to say, is something pretty good.

"Banette, toxic!"

I won't let my pokémon get poisoned! "Hershey, use double team!" Hershey creates about six copies of himself, which leaves Banette utterly confused. The ghost type randomly fires a purple liquid at what turns out to be a copy. I can tell Banette feels kinda disappointed, which is understandable. But now, all of Hershey's copies disappear. It's time for the next step! "Hershey, use wing attack!" Both of Hershey's wing glow white as he charges for the still distracted ghost type pokémon. Finally, he hits Banette, making him slam his face into the floor.

"It's alright Banette, take this!" Phoebe sprays a full restore on Banette, which will make the battle even longer. I'm impatient, I already want to move on to the next member! "Now use shadow ball!" Already with his energy fully recovered, Banette fires a shadowy purple ball towards Hershey, which impacts on his chest.

"Air slash!" I exclaim as soon as Hershey recovers from the hit. Following my command, Hershey attacks Banette with a blade of wind. I hope we can take Banette out this time!

"Banette, use psychic!" Again, Banette gets ready to trash Hershey around like a rag doll… Which is what Banette is, after all. Hershey becomes outlined in blue as Banette slowly starts to slam him against the floor.

"Hershey, try to break free!" As soon as I say this, Hershey starts to struggle so he can stop being influenced by the psychic energy surrounding him, but it's impossible.

I take a look at Banette, he seems to be enjoying this. Maybe this is his revenge for failing that toxic attack earlier… But anyway, I want him to stop as soon as possible. Apparently, Phoebe has just read my thoughts. "Banette, it's enough. Stop!" Banette hesitates a bit, but finally let's Hershey go.

"Now Hershey, use wing attack!" Just like before, Hershey flies towards Banette as his wings glow white. Now, he strikes Banette with his right wing. Surprisingly, it looks like he landed a critical hit this time, that's great! Banette is having quite a hard time trying to get back on his feet.

"Banette, do your best and use shadow ball!" Banette slowly gets up and with all of his remaining energy he fires towards Hershey, as always, a dark purple ball. Hershey briefly shrieks in pain, since the impact is very powerful. But that doesn't matter.

"Hershey, use air slash, now!" He flaps his wing, sending several light blue energy blades towards Banette. These blades fly past the ghost type, slashing him in the process. And just like that, Banette finally faints. Fantastic, just one to go!

"Okay, okay! Now I just have one pokémon left. Go Dusknoir!" I instantly recognize that pokémon as Dusclop's evolved form. It looks so scary!

I think Hershey will be able to take care of Dusknoir like he did with Banette. This time, he's the one who attacks first. "Hershey, use wing attack!" Hershey glides in the air as his wings glow white. Now he hits Dusknoir with both wings instead of with just one of them. Hershey is really going for it!

"Dusknoir, go with hex!" Dusknoir's eye glows red and a hunk of energy strikes Hershey, sending him to the floor and leaving him a bit dazed.

"Hershey, are you alright?" As soon as I say that, Hershey finally takes off again. "Great! Now use air slash!" Hershey flaps his wings vigorously as multiple light blue blades appear. Now these blades slash Dusknoir all across his body. The attack makes the sinister pokémon move back a bit.

"Let's see if you were expecting this… Dusknoir, use fire punch!" One of Dusknoir's fists becomes surrounded by blue and purple flames and he punches Hershey with an incredible strenght. The hit sends my pokémon almost to the ceiling, which makes me worry about his physical integrity.

But surprisingly, he manages to keep himself in the air. It's unbelievable! "Well done Hershey, now use wing attack!" Hershey's wings glow white and he hits Dusknoir with both wings, just like before. The ghost type falls backwards, but he manages to stand up again with a bit of a struggle.

"Dusknoir, use hex again!" Just like before, Dusknoir's eye glows in a very intimidating manner. Now he fires a gust of dark purple energy at Hershey, which this time makes him lose his balance and fall to the floor.

"It's okay Hershey, use double team!" This way Dusknoir will have quite a hard time trying to hit Hershey. But anyway, I think Hershey can endure whatever this Dusknoir has in store bacause to be honest, I don't think this pokémon can have a dangerous move!

"Dusknoir, try to spot the real one and use ice punch!" I'm barely breathing now as I watch how Dusknoir looks around, searching for the real Hershey. After a few seconds that feel eternal, Dusknoir's right fist becomes surrounded by an icy glow. Now he hits who turns out to be the real Hershey…

I watch helplessly how Hershey falls fulminated to the floor, he has fainted. Damn it! Why didn't I think about buying the necessary stuff before getting in this place? On the other hand, I knew that probably one of my pokémon would fall sooner or later. If only I didn't forget about buying hyperpotions and revives! I can be so stupid sometimes...

"You did an amazing job today, Hershey." I say as I make him return to his pokéball. Who should I send out next? Cloudia and Trevor won't be able to resist Dusknoir's ice punch. As for Berry, Dusknoir's fire punch can damage her a lot. I think Venus is the safest option. "It's your turn again, Venus!" I say as I throw her pokéball.

Phoebe smiles in a strange way and shakes her head. Now she tells Dusknoir to use his next attack. "Hex!" Like he did with Hershey, Dusknoir attacks Venus with a dark, shadowy beam of energy as his only eye glows intensely.

"Venus, use ice beam on him!" Venus fires several light blue beams at Dusknoir, which causes him to freeze. Unfortunately, that doesn't last long and Dusknoir breaks free from the ice all by himself.

"Now Dusknoir, use ice punch!" An icy glow surrounds Dusknoir's left fist and he punches Venus right under her chin, which leaves her kinda dazed.

"Venus please, snap out of it and use hydro pump!" Venus shakes her head a bit, like trying to clear her mind, and now blasts a huge jet of water towards Dusknoir, who is sent straight against the wall. He's having a hard time recovering from the hit. Does this mean that we are almost done? I hope so!

"If you think my pokémon is going to fall first, you're wrong… Dusknoir, use thunder punch!" In the blink of an eye, Dusknoir approaches Venus as his right fist glows yellow, surrounded by sparks of electricity. I barely have time to react as Dusknoir punches Venus in the same spot as before. The hit causes Venus to fall to the floor.

But Venus didn't faint… She struggles a bit to get up, but I know she can do it. The truth is that I'm not very surprised about the fact that Venus has endured the attack. Sure, it's a super effective move and I know she could have easily fainted, but Venus is a really bulky pokémon. Now, Venus finally gets up. It's time to finish this!

"Venus, use dragon tail at full power!" Following my instructions, Venus approaches Dusknoir a bit and delivers him a powerful blow using her tail. The ghost type falls to the floor, emitting a sinister sounds which causes me to shiver a bit. As Phoebe confirms, Dusknoir has fainted.

"Fantastic job, Venus!" I cheer as I pet her head. Now I return Venus to her pokéball while Phoebe does the same with Dusknoir.

"Oh, darn. I've gone and lost!" Phoebe sighs. "There's definitely a bond between you and your pokémon, too. I didn't recognize that fact, so it's only natural that I lost. I'd like to see how far your bond will carry you. Go ahead, move on to the next room!"

"Thank you, it's been a great battle." I say with a smile on my face, althought the fact that she doubted about me having a bond with my pokémon offends me. But I won't let her notice that.

Now I can finally go and challenge the next member. Thinking that I'm halfway done makes me feel all pumped up. I can't wait to battle the champion!


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43: Vs. Glacia**

Again, I cross the door at the back of Phoebe's room. This time, the scenery is quite stunning as well: thousands of artificial snowflakes fall all around the place and I can feel the temperature drop a bit. Also, I can see the next hut's roof is covered in snow. Also, several ice stalactites hang from the border of the rooftop. I think it's pretty obvious which kind of pokémon the next member trains!

And that makes me feel worried, because half of my team is weak to ice types. Both Trevor and Cloudia are very vulnerable to ice types and Hershey too, but since he fainted against Phoebe, he will be unable to battle. Only Berry and Venus have chances, specially Berry, who has an ace up her sleeve… But either way, I must feel confident. If my pokémon feel that I'm worried, they will be worried too and that would be a problem!

Almost without realizing I reach the door which, just like the two other times, has opened as I walked towards it. Now I'm finally facing the third member of the Elite Four: a beautiful pale skinned woman. Her icy blue eyes look at me with determination. My third battle on the Pokémon League is going to start very soon!

The woman bows slightly. "Welcome. My name is Glacia of the Elite Four."

"Nice to meet you! My name is Emily."

"I've traveled from afar to Hoenn so that I may hone my ice type moves." Glacia continues. "But all I have seen are challenges by weak trainers and their pokémon. I wonder what you will show me… What a relief it would be if I could, for once, have a serious battle against an opponent!"

"I will try my best to give you a good time!" I say as I get ready to grab Berry's pokéball.

"Fine, let's see if you can live up to my expectatives. Go, Glalie!" A pokémon which is literally a ball of ice with a face and horns makes his appearance.

"This is your time to shine, Berry!" I say as I release her from her pokéball. I know she will do it very well. I can tell Berry is super eager to fight!

"You may have the first move, I would like to see what you and your pokémon are made of." Glacia says politely. Of course, I won't say no!

"Thank you very much! Berry, start with psychic!" Berry's eyes glow blue and the ice type becomes outlined in an aura of the same color. Now Berry slams Glalie against the floor. I take a furtive look at Glacia. She doesn't seem to be displeased. I must be ready, maybe she has an strategy… "It's enough, Berry!" As soon as I say this, Berry stops hitting Glalie against the floor.

"Glalie, attack with crunch!" Glalie charges for Berry and bites down on her as his teeth glow white.

"Berry, respond using psychic again!" Again, Berry's eyes glow light blue. She struggles a bit to make Glalie let her go, but she finally gets to do it. Now she abruptly drops the ice type pokémon to the floor.

"Glalie, go with ice shard!" Glalie's eyes glow light blue as he opens his mouth. Now, he throws several icy projectiles at Berry, who covers her face as the shards impact on her.

"Moonblast!" Berry forms a ball of pink energy in front of her hands and she fires it at Glalie. The impact makes the ice type go back a couple of meters.

"Glalie, use light screen!" A blue screen appears before Glalie. That minimizes the power of Berry's attacks, but that doesn't stop us!

"Berry, use thunderbolt!" The red horn on Berry's chest starts to spark with electricity.

"Glalie, attack her while she is still charging electricity, use crunch!" Glalie approaches Berry and chomps on her, which makes my pokémon wince.

"Now, Berry!" I exclaim a bit too loudly. Now she releases a beam of electricity from her red horn, which makes Glalie separate from her almost immedatiely. Also, the attack leaves Glalie almost fried. Defeating him shouldn't take too long!

"Glalie, use hail!" Glalie glows light blue and thick clouds appear above the battle field. And now it starts to snow… It's snowing indoors. This reminds me of the time I battled Wallace and it started to rain inside the gym. "Now go with ice shard!" Quickly, Glalie hurls several ice projectiles at Berry. This time Berry has no time to cover herself.

"Berry, use moonblast again!" Once more, she forms a ball of pink energy in front of her hands and she throws it at her opponent, who is having a bit of trouble keeping his balance. This is almost done!

And just now, not one but two balls of hail impact on Berry's head. Her legs give in and Berry falls on her knees. I approach Berry fearing that she might have received some important damage. But now, she stands up again and glances at me with a confident expression. What a relief!

"Glalie, use crunch now!" With a bit of effort, Glalie charges at Berry as his teeth glow white. In a couple of seconds, the ice type bites down on Berry. She has a pained expression and she struggles to get the ice type away from her.

What I'm thinking right now should work. "Berry, use psychic to make him let you go!" Following my command, Berry gets to make Glalie let her go by putting him under the influence of her psychic powers. Now she drops the ice type to the floor… and Glalie faints. "Well done Berry!" I congratulate her.

"That was quite impressive! But you only defeated my first pokémon." Glacia says as she returns the fainted Glalie to his pokéball and grabs another one. "It's your turn, Froslass!" A very beautiful pokémon, who reminds me of a woman wearing a kimono, makes her appearance in the battle field. Just now, I notice that it has stopped snowing.

I think it's time to switch my pokémon. "You did really well Berry, now you should rest a bit." I withdraw her and I put Berry's pokéball back on my bag. Venus will be the responsible of taking down Glacia's next pokémon. "Go for it, Venus!"

"Froslass, go with ominous wind!" The elegant ice and ghost type releases a purple wind from her mouth, which has been hidden until now. The eerie gust of wind makes Venus fall.

"Venus, attack her with hydro pump!" Venus opens her mouth and fires an spiraling jet of water towards Froslass, who is sent against the wall as a consequence of the impact.

"Froslass, respond with blizzard!" A beam of snow comes out from Froslass's mouth and it hits Venus, making her go back a bit.

"Retaliate with aqua tail!" Venus's tail gets covered in a spiral of water. Now she hits Froslass with her tail, sending the ice and ghost type to the floor. Froslass barely makes a noise upon falling.

"Go with confuse ray now!" Froslass gets ready to attack, but I won't let Venus get confused. Not so soon. I hate it when my pokémon get confused!

"Venus, ignore the attack and use ice beam!" Immeadiately after I say this, Venus fires a light blue beam from her mouth at Froslass. It does very little damage, but at least it helped Venus to avoid getting confused.

"I see… Good strategy. Now Froslass, use ominous wind again!" Like the first time, a dark purple wind comes out of Froslass mouth. Venus tries to keep herself steady as the wind buffets her.

"Use aqua tail now!" Venus slams her tail covered in water onto Froslass's head, who almost falls to the floor due to the hit.

"Blizzard, now!" Froslass opens her arms and fires a beam of snow towards Venus's direction. The hit sends my Venus straight against the wall. The impact has been stronger this time!

"Venus, use hydro pump!" With a little bit of difficulty, Venus gets up and attacks Froslass, who seems to be tired already.

"Now it's the time. Go with confuse ray!" Froslass's eyes become red and Venus loses her cool. It looks like Venus doesn't even know where she is!

"Venus please, use ice beam!" But all Venus does is looking around without listening to what I say to her.

Glacia chuckles softly."Use ominous wind!" Once again, her Froslass attacks Venus with that sinister purple wind, which hits right on her face.

"Venus, use aqua tail!" Venus staggers visibly but fortunately, she ends up delivering a quite decent blow to Froslass.

"Now Froslass, blizzard, again!" Just like all the other times, Froslass fires a thick beam of snow at Venus. Venus can barely keep her balance as a result of the hit.

"Venus, use hydro pump!" Instead of attacking Froslass, Venus slams her face into the floor. Damn confussion!

"Froslass, use ominous wind with all your power!" Oh dear… This sounds terrible.

"Venus… Do something!" I feel desperate, but of course, I trust Venus. I know she can surprise me.

And she does. Froslass's powerful attack starts to buffet her but Venus manages to stand her ground. The impact makes her go back several meters to the point that she almost hits me. But Venus endures the attack pretty well, as I can see. "How about you try to go with hydro pump?" Luckily, this time Venus is able to listen to me and she fires a powerful jet of water at Froslass. After emitting a noise that almost sounds like a gasp, Froslass gets knocked down.

"I'm starting to think that you are not just another trainer. Also, your pokémon don't seem to be weak at all. Please, don't disappoint me now." Glacia utters as she gets ready to switch her pokémon. "This is your turn, Glalie!" Another Glalie! This shouldn't be a problem. I think Berry will handle it pretty well.

"Good job, Venus! Now, return!" As soon as Venus goes back to the device, I grab Berry's pokéball again and I throw it, making her return to the battle field.

"Glalie, start this with ice shard!" Glalie's eyes glow light blue and he opens his mouth. The chunks of ice he fires are slightly bigger than the ones the other Glalie created. But the amount of damage he does to Berry is almost the same.

"Berry, use thunderbolt!" The horn on her chest sparks with electricity. Now a beam of electricity is fired towards Glalie. After the attack, a bit of smoke comes out from his body and Glalie seems really upset. I understand him, nobody likes to receive an electrical discharge!

"Attack with freeze-dry!" Glalie's eyes glow icy blue as a big ball of ice appears. In the blink of an eye, he hurls that ice ball at Berry. The harsh impact makes Berry fall to the floor, but she practically gets up right after falling.

"Berry, use moonblast!" She gets ready to throw a ball of pink energy at her opponent.

"Glalie, use protect!" A green force field surrounds Glalie's body, rendering Berry's attack useless. But that's not a problem to us.

"Berry, use psychic now!" Her eyes glow light blue as she raises Glalie a couple of meters above the floor. The ice type struggles to free himself. "Now!" Under my command, Berry drops Glalie to the floor. The ice type rolls twice before getting up, his expression makes clear he has been hurt.

"Glalie, go with ice shard again!" Glalie fires several icy proyectiles towards Berry, who puts her arms in front of her face. But despite that, one of the shards hits her a bit too hard and makes her fall backwards.

Berry seems to be feeling a bit tired but aside from that, she's in a very good condition.

"Use thunderbolt!" Berry shocks her opponent with the beam of electricity that comes out from the red horn on her chest. This time Glalie gets a bit more of damage.

"Glalie, attack with freeze-dry!" Again, Glalie forms a big ball of ice as his eyes glow light blue. The big chunk of ice hits Berry and makes her fall on her right side.

"Now it's the time… Berry, use focus blast!" A ball of blue energy forms between her hands. She's getting ready to attack.

"Protect!" For a moment, Glacia leaves her serene demeanor. As his trainer says, Glalie creates a green force field in front of himself. The blue ball of energy Berry created impacts against the protective barrier and disappears.

"It's fine… Use moonblast again!" As soon as the barrier disappears, Berry fires a ball of pink energy at Glalie. As Glalie gets hit, I can tell he's almost KO.

"Glalie, use ice shard!" The pokémon hesitates a bit and fires several chunks of ice out of his mouth. But this time Berry won't get hit…

"Focus blast, now!" Like before, Berry creates a ball of blue energy. With the ice shards about to hit her, Berry moves aside and throws the ball towards Glalie. The ice type tries to move away, but the ball ends up hitting him, surrounding the ice type in a blue blaze. Gradually, the light fades out, revealing that Glalie has fainted.

"Like I imagined…" Glacia mutters as she returns Glalie to his respective pokéball.

"Good job Berry!" I cheer as I high five my pokémon.

"Go, Froslass!" The Elite Four member sends out another Froslass. I think Berry can do this. Yes, I know that aside from being at a disadvantage, she can only use thunderbolt. But who says she can't make it?

"Berry, use thunderbolt!" I can tell Berry really wants to go for it. I know she can do it! The electricity beam coming from the red horn in her chest is slightly bigger than the other times. The ice and ghost type gets shocked by the electricity.

"Froslass, use blizzard!" Froslass releases a very cold blast of air from her mouth towards Berry. The beam strikes Berry and makes her shiver with cold.

"Berry, don't think about the cold and use thunderbolt once more!" Following my command, Berry charges a big amount of electricity and fires it towards Froslass. It looks like we landed a critical hit! Froslass has fallen to the floor and she's having a hard time trying to get up. We might just need another hit to defeat Glacia's fourth pokémon!

Glacia smiles faintly. "Froslass… Use shadow ball!" In the blink of an eye, Froslass gets up and fires a black and purple ball towards Berry. The harsh impact makes her fall to the floor and in a brief instant, I realize she fainted.

Yet another one of my pokémon out. That means I just have three left! I don't know if I will be able to make it to the champion with only three pokémon, let alone defeat him or her. But either way, I trust my pokémon and I know they are capable of doing great things.

"Berry, you went all out and you did a spectacular job. Now, return." I put her ball back on my bag and I grab Venus's pokéball. She will be the one who will finish what Berry started. "Your opponent is weak. Go get her, Venus!" My pokémon emits a loud, determined cry upon coming out of her pokéball.

"I don't think so…" Glacia murmurs as she treats her Froslass with a full restore. Damn it! Anyway, she has the same right to heal her pokémon as I do.

"Venus, hit her with aqua tail!" A spiral of water surrounds Venus's tail and she slams her tail onto the ice and ghost type, who is sent a few meters back. I want to finish this as soon as possible! I know Venus will do a good job, just like she did it before.

"Froslass, use blizzard now!" Froslass opens her mouth and fires a beam of snow towards Venus. My pokémon tilts her head back as the snow hits her.

"Venus, go with hydro pump!"

"Froslass, avoid the attack and counter with shadow ball!" With a graceful movement, Froslass manages to dodge the stream of water. Now, she forms between her hands a dark purple ball of energy and throws it at Venus. She winces at the impact.

"Use aqua tail again!" Her tail gets covered in water and this time Venus gets to hit her opponent. Froslass is about to fall to the floor but manages to stay steady. The dual typed pokémon looks at Venus with an irritated expression.

"Now Froslass, go with draining kiss!" Froslass approaches Venus and gives her a peck on the cheek, stealing part of her energy.

"Venus, attack with hydro pump!" Venus opens her mouth and blasts a stream of water which sends Froslass against the wall. But the ghost and ice type quickly returns to her spot.

"Hail, now!" Froslass's body glows light blue as she summons a hail storm. Grey, thick clouds appear above the battle field and it starts to snow. I must be careful, a ball of hail might fall at any moment and hurt Venus or even myself.

"I know this barely does nothing but… Use ice beam!" Venus releases several light blue beams from her mouth. They go towards Froslass and hit her, but the attack does very little damage.

"Go with shadow ball!" Froslass forms a dark purple ball between her hands and throws it at Venus, who falls backwards and seems to be a bit dazed because of the impact.

And now a golf ball-sized ball of hail is coming her way. "Watch out!" At the last moment, Venus moves out of the way and gets up. "Great, now go with aqua tail!" As her tail gets covered in water, Venus strikes a ball of hail that was coming her way and sends it towards Froslass. Now she hits Froslass with her tail. The blow leaves Froslass in the floor.

"Froslass, please, get up and use blizzard!" With difficulty, Froslass rises from the floor and opens her mouth, releasing a powerful blizzard. The snow storm hits Venus right on her face and she's about to fall again.

"Hydro pump, now!" Unexpectedly, Venus manages to keep her balance. She fires a big blast of water towards Froslass, who is knocked down almost immediately. Only one pokémon left! "You are doing a great job Venus!" I congratulate her and she nuzzles my cheek as a response.

"Now I only have one pokémon left. At first I thought it wouldn't happen, but now I see I was wrong. However, will you be able to take down my last pokémon?" She throws her last pokéball. "Go, Walrein!" A big, blue pokémon with yellow eyes appears. It seems to be Sealeo's evolution.

That means Trevor shouldn't have any problem. I know it's risky, but everything is possible. So I decide to make Venus go back to her pokéball and I grab Trevor's pokéball while I wish this battle doesn't last too long… and that it ends well for us, of course! "Go for it, Trevor!"

Glacia raises her eyebrows upon seeing my choice. I bet she thinks I'm crazy, but I don't care. "Walrein, use body slam!"

"Trevor, dodge it and use leaf blade!" Trevor has more than enough time to get out the way and attack Walrein, who wails loudly upon being hit. That's the advantage of being a fast pokémon!

"Walrein, counter with blizzard!" Well, here we go… The big pokémon opens his mouth and fires a strong blizzard towards Trevor, who instantly gets knocked down to the floor. But the attack doesn't do as much damage as I expected. Good, I don't want to lose yet another pokémon!

"Trevor, use gigadrain!" Trevor absorbs part of Walrein's energy through his tail. I'm trying not to use the last hyperpotion yet.

"Walrein, use body slam again!" Walrein jumps into the air and lands on Trevor who, despite my warnings, couldn't move out of the way. But luckily, one of his arms is sticking out.

"Trevor, try to use leaf blade!" Using his free arm, Trevor slashes Walrein. The ice and water type immeadiately winces and moves back, finally leaving Trevor free.

"Go with sheer cold!" Walrein's body glows light blue and releases a wave of energy of the same color. The battle field starts to freeze and I begin to feel cold. I think I heard of this attack before: if it hits the target, it faints immediately. I can't let that happen!

"Trevor, jump and use X Scissor on Walrein!" Just before the ice reaches him, Trevor jumps really high with his arms crossed and before touching the floor, he opens his arms in front of Walrein's face, slashing it in the process. Suddenly, all the ice disappears.

"Walrein, counter that with surf!" The ice and water type summons a large wave that pushes Trevor against the wall behind me, which causes a loud noise. Trevor seems to be a bit dazed aside from completely drenched, but that's not a problem.

"Trevor, use leaf blade!" Trevor quickly runs towards Walrein as the four leaves on his wrists glow white. Now he slashes Walrein a couple of times with his right arm.

"Use blizzard, now!" Walrein opens his mouth wide and blasts a huge stream of snow. Although he tries to stand his ground, Trevor can't resist the attack and ends up falling on his knees, he's badly injured.

And that means I must use my last hyperpotion. At least I'm not wasting it, Trevor really needs it! He wouldn't endure another attack. Glacia waits patiently as I cure my pokémon. "Done!" I say as I watch how Trevor quickly goes to his usual self.

"Alright. Walrein, use body slam!" Walrein advances a bit towards Trevor and jumps in the air, landing right on top of Trevor.

"Trevor, try to roll over!" He struggles a lot to move and get Walrein off of him. It's hard for him to do that, since Walrein is very heavy. But finally, he manages to roll over. "Good! Now use X-Scissor!" Since he still has Walrein near, Trevor only has to cross his arms and slash his foe in an "X" like pattern. All that without moving from his spot. Now the ice and water type starts to make his way towards his spot. He seems to be exhausted.

"Walrein, surf!" Walrein summons a wave, albeit this time is not as big as before. All it does this time is drenching Trevor once again.

"It's almost done… Now use gigadrain, Trevor!" Trevor's tail glows light green as an energy beam of the same color goes from Walrein to Trevor's tail. The ice and water type gets progressively weaker. Once Trevor is done, Walrein can't take it anymore and faints.

This means that we actually did it! We could take Glacia down and I'm actually going to face the fourth member with only three pokémon! I don't know how that will turn out, but I trust my team. I high five my pokémon right before returning him to his pokéball.

"You and your pokémon… How fiercely your spirits burn! My icy moves pale in the face of such all-consuming flames. Advance to the next room. There you will learn how fearsome the Pokémon League can truly be!" Being complimented like that by someone who doubted about me and my team's skills makes me feel very proud.

"Thank you! I can't wait to see who's awaiting."

Her words don't scare me. I made it very far along with my pokémon. There's no way that confronting the fourth Elite Four member can intimidate us!


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44: Vs. Drake**

Just like all the other times, the door at the back of the room opens. It's time to confront the last Elite Four member! With three pokémon left, I'm aware that this might be one of the hardest battles ever. I don't know if luck will be on our side. What if the pokémon of the next member are of a type that can easily wipe off my team? As I cross the door, I decide it's time to stop worrying and start walking towards the next hut.

This time, the scenery is pretty intimidating. It sorta reminds me of the first one, only that this time under the bridge there's what appears to be lava. Also, the hut is crowned by an enormous dragon head. I can't help but stare at it as I make my way towards the door. Suddenly, fire starts to come out of the corners of the dragon's mouth, which makes me gasp and take a step back. But the fright doesn't last long. Finally, the door opens with a loud noise.

As I enter the door, I face a man on his late forties. His large, white mustache unavoidably gets my attention. Also, I notice he looks like a ship's captain. This man looks like a very strong trainer, he's not the last Elite Four member for nothing!

"I am the last of the Pokémon League Elite Four, Drake the dragon master!" Dragon master? I don't want to sound arrogant, but I think this should be easy!

"Nice to meet you, my name is Emily." I introduce myself exactly like I did with the other three members.

"In their natural state, pokémon are wild living things. They are free. At times, they hinder us. At times, they help us. For us to battle alongside pokémon as partners, do you know what it takes? Do you know what is needed?" I want to say something, but I feel a bit intimidated and I can't find the words. "If you don't, you will never prevail over me!" Drake booms all of sudden, startling me once again. "Go, Altaria!"

So he has an Altaria too? It will be Altaria versus Altaria then. "Go for it, Cloudia!" Upon leaving her pokéball, Cloudia chirps and flaps her wings vigorously. Now it's time to give Drake a little surprise… "Cloudia, MEGA EVOLVE!" As a bright light envelopes Cloudia, I look at Drake to see his reaction. He doesn't seem to be surprised in the slightlest, but it doesn't bother me.

I kept forgetting about the Altarianite Lisia gave me but last week, while I was rummaging on my bag, I found it. I gave it to Cloudia since I knew it would be useful. And in the end, it turns out it will be very helpful!

Once the process is done, Cloudia is slightly bigger and a lot fluffier. Wow, she looks even cuter than usual!

"I didn't expect you to know about mega evolution, but that's not a problem to me. Altaria, start off with cotton guard!" The fluff on her wings and body puffs up, minimizing the damage of the attacks. But that's not a problem to us!

"Cloudia, use moonblast!" Cloudia opens her beak and an orb of pink energy gathers in front of it. Now she fires the energy ball towards Drake's Altaria, who is pushed almost against the wall. But the extra fluff helps her to take the hit better. However, the fluff disappears right after she goes back to her spot.

"Altaria, attack with aerial ace!" Altaria suddenly disappears, she's nowhere to be seen. But before I can realize, I spot her right behind Cloudia, who gets hit before she can realize that somebody is behind her. Cloudia falls flat on her face while Drake's Altaria returns to her spot with a satisfied look.

"Cloudia, go with dragon pulse!" Cloudia opens her beak and fires a green ball of energy towards her opponent, who this time is the one who falls to the floor.

"Altaria, hit with moonblast!" Drake's Altaria opens her beak as she gets ready to attack.

"Cloudia, get ready and use cotton guard!" All of her fluff starts to grow bigger and some cotton balls appear in front of her as well. Now the pink energy ball fired by Drake's Altaria hits Cloudia and pushes her towards the wall behind me but, thanks to her extra fluff, the hit is softened. Now, her fuzz goes back to normal.

"Altaria, use aerial ace again!" A white light engulfs Altaria as she flies towards Cloudia. In the blink of an eye, Altaria knocks Cloudia down to the ground.

"Cloudia, go with earthquake!" Cloudia gets up and she starts to focus on a concrete point of the ground, right below Drake's Altaria, who is now standing on the floor preening herself. Suddenly, a seismic wave breaks around the distracted pokémon, who quickly loses her balance and falls to the floor making a somewhat loud noise.

"Altaria, respond with moonblast!"

"Cloudia, do the same!"

Both pokémon fire an orb of pink energy towards each other, but both attacks clash in the middle of the battle field. Both Drake and I observe with attention, trying to guess which attack will prevail. After a few seconds that feel like hours, the energy ball fired by Cloudia advances towards Drake's Altaria, knocking her down. And just like that, we take down the first pokémon of the last Elite Four member!

"Okay, you got to take down one of my pokémon." Drake says as he returns Altaria to her pokéball. "I think I like what I've seen so far. But let's see what your pokémon will do against the next one. Go ahead, Flygon!" A slightly insectoid, bipedal dragon appears. What a beautiful pokémon, I've never seen one!

I'm not going to swap my pokémon, Cloudia can easily take care of Flygon. "Cloudia, go with dragon pulse!" Cloudia fires a green ball of energy towards Flygon, who gets destabilized after receiving the attack.

"Flygon, use rock slide!" Flygon waves her right hand, causing several rocks to fall down onto Cloudia. She has a bit of a hard time trying to get the boulders off of her. "And now go with earthquake!" Taking advantage of the fact that Cloudia is still on the floor, Flygon waves her arms to the side and the ground below Cloudia starts to shake violently. She can't get up, but the tremor at least makes the boulders go away.

Cloudia appears to be stunned and that's a problem, I hope she snaps out of it soon because I have nothing that can help her to recover energy. Either way, I tell Cloudia to use her next attack. "Cloudia, use moonblast!" Cloudia finally manages to raise up and fires a pink energy ball towards Flygon. The ground and dragon type immediately falls to the floor, dazed by the impact.

"Flygon, use supersonic!" Flygon gets up, albeit with difficulty. Now she flaps her wings fast, making a large blue circle appear in front of them. Now she fires both blue circles towards Cloudia. No, I don't want my pokémon to deal with confussion again!

"Cloudia, avoid the attack and use dragon pulse!" Cloudia flies away from the direction of the blue circles and fires a green energy ball towards Flygon, who abruptly falls to the ground.

"Alright Flygon, use rock slide now!" Like the last time, Flygon waves her right hand causing several boulders to fall on Cloudia. But this time Cloudia gets rid of them easily.

"Now Cloudia, use moonblast!" Like all the other times, Cloudia opens her beak and gathers an orb of pink energy in front of it. Now she fires that ball of energy towards Flygon, who tries to stop the impact but fails and ends up getting knocked down and defeated. This is being easier than it should be, and all because of my team's type advantage. But I'm pretty sure that Drake has an ace up his sleeve.

"Well… Let's continue. Your turn, Kingdra!" A large, graceful pokémon comes out from the pokéball. I think Trevor should be able to take care of Kingdra with no problem.

"Good job Cloudia! Now, return!" I quickly grab Trevor's pokéball and I throw it, sending him out to the arena. Drake smirks faintly.

"Kingdra, use ice beam!" A light blue beam comes out from Kingdra's thin snout and knocks Trevor down almost instantly. "Don't tell me you didn't see this coming!" Drake chuckles. See? This is what I was talking about.

That Kingdra will be more problematic than I thought. I must be careful, I have no more hyperpotions left and I can't afford losing yet another pokémon! "Trevor, go with gigadrain!" With a lot of struggle, Trevor gets up and steals part of Kingdra's energy. Now Trevor appears to be feeling better.

"Kingdra, go with dragon pulse now!" Kingdra fires a turquoise beam of energy from his snout. The beam hits Trevor and pushes him several meters back.

"Trevor, use gigadrain again!" Light green beams of energy go from Kingdra to the seeds on Trevor's back. Now Trevor is more alert than before.

"Kingdra, attack with surf now!" Kingdra summons a large wave and rides on it.

"Trevor, jump before it crashes and attack with leaf blade!" Following my command, Trevor jumps towards Kingdra and surprises him by attacking the dual typed pokémon right on his face. Trevor lands right after the wave crashes.

"Now go with yawn!" Drake commands to his pokémon, who still seems to be a bit stunned from Trevor's hit. The dragon and water type releases a bubble from his snout. In less than a second, the bubble floats over to Trevor and pops on his face, making him fall asleep.

Luckily, I have a Lum berry left! I give it to Trevor and he instantly snaps out of his drowsiness. Now I hope Kingdra doesn't use yawn again.

"Use dragon pulse again, Kingdra!" Kingdra releases a turquoise beam of energy, like the last time. This time, the hit doesn't stun Trevor so much.

"Trevor, go with dragon claw!" Trevor runs towards Kingdra as his claws glow light green.

"Kingdra, stop him with ice beam!" Before Trevor can reach him, Kingdra fires an icy blue beam from his snout. As soon as the ice hits Trevor, he is sent to the floor as he emits a pained cry. It looks like we will have to go back to using gigadrain!

"Trevor, do your best and use gigadrain!" The ice beam left him very injured. He can only manage to get on his knees. It's a pity seeing him like this but luckily, he gets to to execute the attack and regain some energy, which allows him to stand up again.

"Kingdra, go with surf once again!" A big wave appears and Kingdra rides on top of it. Trevor tries to get out of the way, but the wave ends up crashing on him. It's no big deal, thought.

"Trevor, use gigadrain!" Again, Trevor absorbs part of Kingdra's energy through his tail. The dragon and water type faints right after Trevor is done. This one has put up a good fight!

Drake doesn't say anything as he returns Kingdra and grabs a different pokéball. "Go, Flygon!" It's time to battle another Flygon, but now Venus will be the one to take him down. "Fantastic job, Trevor! Now, come back!" I put his pokéball back into my bag and I grab Venus's. "Venus, it's time to fight!" Venus emits a soft, murmuring noise. She seems to be feeling pretty confident!

"Boomburst!" Flygon's eyes glow light blue and fires a powerful blast of sound waves towards Venus. She cries as the waves hit her.

"Respond with ice beam!" As she tries to brush off the dizziness caused by the attack, Venus stares at Flygon and fires a light blue beam towards him. The dragon and ground type gets brought down by the hit.

"Flygon, now go with dragon pulse!" Flygon opens his mouth and fires a multicolored beam of energy towards Venus. The impact sends Venus against the wall behind me.

"Venus, attack with hydro pump!" Venus brings herself forward and fires a big blast of water towards Flygon, who now is on the same situation in which Venus was only seconds ago.

"Flygon, use boomburst again!" Flygon generates again powerful sound waves which are making Venus have a hard time. This time I can perceive them too. That must mean that Flygon is really going for it!

"Venus, counter it with dragon tail!" Determined to make that sound end, Venus delivers a strong blow to Flygon's head, who stops emiting these soundwaves almost immediately.

Venus's hit knocks him down and now Flygon can barely move. We might have defeated him already!

"Hold on, Flygon!" Drake grabs a full restore from one of the pockets on his coat and sprays it on Flygon. In the blink of an eye, the dual typed pokémon has recovered all of his energy. But I'm going to take advantage of the fact that Drake has spent his turn healing his pokémon.

"Venus, go with a powerful ice beam!" Venus fires a large, light blue beam of energy towards Flygon. The dragon and ground type is sent against the wall again.

"Flygon, use screech now!" Flygon flaps his wings and he emits an earsplitting screech, even the air seems to distort! Venus is so startled by the scream that she can't even locate herself. "Now attack with dragon pulse!" Flygon fires a multicolored beam of energy right towards Venus face, who instantly falls to the ground.

"Venus!" The attack screech lowers the opponent's defense, so it's only natural that Flygon's dragon pulse has damaged her this much. No, I can't lose another pokémon! "Venus, don't give up and use hydro pump!" Venus moves slowly and with a great effort, she gets up again. Now Venus opens her mouth and blasts a large stream of water towards Flygon, but the dragon and ground type manages to keep himself on air, albeit with difficulty.

"Use boomburst, Flygon!" Before Venus stops, Flygon generates again the unnerving sound waves, which evaporate the water from Venus's hydro pump and get on her nerves once again.

"Venus, respond with aqua tail!" With her tail surrounded by an spiral of water and without hesitating, Venus slams her tail on Flygon's side. The dual typed pokémon falls to the floor and rolls twice.

"Flygon, attack with dragon pulse, now!" Flygon slowly stands up, but can't rise up since he's too tired. After staggering a bit, Flygon fires his attack towards Venus.

"Venus, block it and use ice beam!" Once again, Venus fires an icy blue beam of energy, which collides with Flygon's dragon pulse. Both attacks are very powerful but suddenly, Venus's ice beam overpowers Flygon's attack. The blue beam reaches Flygon and knocks him out.

Seeing how Drake has only one pokémon left makes me feel very confident. Now I'm almost completely sure that we will get to battle the champion! But first, we have to take down Drake's last pokémon.

"This is your time, Salamence!" A very intimidating dragon pokémon makes his appearance. It looks like he's willing to tear his opponent to pieces!

But that won't scare Cloudia. She will take down the last pokémon of the Elite Four. "You did an amazing job, Venus! Now rest… I might need you later." After putting Venus's pokéball on my bag, I send Cloudia back to the battle field. She seems to feel a bit intimidated by Salamence, but that won't stop her from giving it all!

"Salamence, use zen headbutt!" His head glows blue and he flies towards Cloudia.

"Cloudia, use cotton guard before he gets you!" All the fluff on Cloudia's body puffs up, providing her some protection from Salamence's onset. Now Salamence hits her, but the cottony barrier softens the blow.

"Now go with thunder fang, Salamence!" Salamence flies towards Cloudia as his fangs spark with electricity. Now the dragon type bites down on Cloudia's right wing, destabilizing her.

"Cloudia, attack with moonblast!" While she tries to get Salamence off of her, Cloudia fires a ball of pink energy directly at the dragon type's face, making him fall to the floor and causing a loud noise.

"Salamence, attack with crunch!" The intimidating dragon rises up again and this time chomps Cloudia's left wing. Does he have a fixation with wings or something?

"Cloudia, respond with dragon pulse this time!" A green ball of energy forms in front of Cloudia's beak. She fires it again at Salamence's head. This time the dragon pokémon looks dazed.

"Salamence, go and use thunder fang again!" His teeth gather electricity again and now he bites Cloudia near her neck. I can tell she's in a lot of pain as she gets shocked by the electricity coming out from Salamence's mouth.

Cloudia struggles and trashes around until she finally manages to get Salamence off of her. "Now go with earthquake!" I command taking advantage of the fact that Salamence is now on the ground.

"Quick Salamence, use zen headbutt!" With difficulty, Salamence takes off right when the ground starts to shake. Now he slams his head onto Cloudia's stomach, who gets pushed against the wall.

"Cloudia, attack him with moonblast!" As she flies back to her spot, a pink ball of energy gathers in front of her beak. Now that she's in front of Salamence, Cloudia fires the ball of energy towards him. The dragon type falls abruptly to the floor and he can barely move. I can't believe it… Are we really about to beat the Elite Four?

"Salamence, use crunch!" Salamence feels very weak but still, he manages to get back on his feet, rise up and cling onto Cloudia by biting her left wing, but this time pretty close to her body.

"Come on Cloudia, you have it at your reach! Use dragon pulse!" Cloudia tilts her head back as she gets ready to attack. I hold my breath as she throws a big, green orb of energy towards Salamence, who won't let her go. But once the ball of energy hits him, Salamence gets knocked down, raising a cloud of dust.

I watch without blinking how the dust dissipates. I look closely and I realize Salamence has fainted.

We did it.

We beat the Elite Four.

Only the champion is left.

"Cloudia, we did it!" She flies towards me and envelops me with her wings. I immediately return the hug. She's aware that something very important just happened. All thanks to my pokémon, including those who fainted before reaching Drake, of course.

After hugging her for a while, I return Cloudia to her pokéball, since I assume Drake will have something to say.

"Superb, it should be said. You deserve every credit for coming this far as a pokémon trainer. You do seem to know what is needed." Drake's words make me feel very happy and proud of myself… and my team.

"Do you think so?"

"Yes, what a trainer needs is a true and virtuous heart. Is it through their contact with trainers that pokémon learn right from wrong. The influence of their trainers' good hearts helps them grow strong!" Drake stops, but it seems like he didn't say all what he wanted to say. "Go! Go onward! The champion is waiting!"

"Yes… Thank you and thanks for the battle!" I'm so nervous I don't even know what to say.

"No problem!" Drake exclaims.

I leave the room as my entire journey flashes before my eyes. Everything, from the good moments to the moments where everything seemed lost have paid off. Along with my pokémon, I worked my way from the bottom to the top and I think my pokémon deserve to be here. This is the moment of truth and if we lose, the blame should be put on me and only me. But for now, I'm gonna go for it and I will try to do my best. I can't wait to see who is awaiting me and my team!


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45: The end of the road Pt.1**

This is almost as intimidating as the Cave of Origin. Everything is covered in black tiles except the floor, which is made of white marble. An enormous black door is in front of me. I start going forward as my heart threats to leap out of my chest. The black doors open very slowly, whoever is inside knows that a challenger is coming. I hope that person doesn't underestimate me or my pokémon, because we are ready to give our all and nothing can stop us at this point!

The door opens completely and I finally walk through it, only to be faced by a stairway. Now some more seconds separate me from facing the champion. I take a deep breath and I start to make my way up the stairs. I reach the last step and I can finally get a glimpse of the person there.

But now I suddenly feel paralyzed. This can't be happening.

The champion is Steven. OH ARCEUS WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?

I approach him keeping some distance. I don't even know what to say now. I can't believe what's going on there. How I'm supposed to fight someone I love?

"I knew I would see you here someday." Steven says calmly as he slowly approaches me.

"You never told me this." My voice suddenly sounds more serious than it should.

"I'm sorry Emily, I didn't want to intimidate you. I didn't tell you because I thought that it would have scared you… And I didn't want to lose a friend like you." His words leave me even more stunned than I already was. I don't know what to say. "Please, don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." He sounds really concerned. Now I made him feel bad. I'm so stupid...

Without saying anything I approach Steven and I hug him. He immediately hugs me back and pulls me closer to him. My brain disconnects for a split second since his gesture has taken me by surprise. But I do the same and I tighten the embrace. I even feel the temptation to nuzzle his neck, but I control myself. Then I would be the one ruining our friendship. Maybe he's just feeling nervous and that's why he is hugging me so hard.

Now he slowly separates from me, making me wish that the hug would last longer. But I'm here to fight. Now that I made it there, I think that I shouldn't want to turn back. "Ready?" Steven says in a friendly tone.

"Of course. I won't hold back just because we are friends." I say with a small smirk. "Don't hold back either."

"I won't. I can't wait to see what you learned through your journey. Go, Skarmory!" I already saw these pokémon before, in Route 113 to be exact. But I never battled one.

"Time to give your all, Cloudia!" After being released from her pokéball, Cloudia emits a loud yet soft cry and bats her wings. I look at Steven and his Skarmory and I realize the pokémon's expression has suddenly changed.

He's staring at Cloudia, but not in a defiant way, it's more like that Skarmory can't take his eyes off of her. Suddenly, Skarmory starts to show off the red feathers under his wings.

"Huh… Skarmory?" Steven tries to get the attention of his pokémon, but it's in vain.

And now Cloudia starts to act strange too. She spreads her wings and sings with the most gorgeous voice she can pull off. I think I already know what's going on.

"Well, it looks like my pokémon likes yours!" Steven echoes my thoughts.

"That's adorable! But… Do you think they will want to battle each other?" And that reminds me of how I felt only a couple of minutes ago.

"To be honest, I think they will probably refuse to do it. But we can always try." After he says that, I wait for Steven to give a command to his Skarmory. "Ladies first!"

"Do… do you want me to start?" Steven nods in response. Now that I think about it, none of Cloudia's attacks are very effective against Skarmory. But as long as he gets damaged, we are good to go. "Cloudia, start with dragon pulse!" She turns her head and looks at me doubtfuly.  
"You have to do it, it's a very important battle!" Cloudia nods slowly. She fires a green ball of energy towards Skarmory. As I predicted, the hit does very little damage. But at least it's something.

"Now Skarmory, go with spikes!" After hesitating a bit, Skarmory starts to spin rapidly and multiple glowing red spikes come out of his body. The spikes land on the ground and sink on it. I have no idea what the purpose of that attack might be, but I'm pretty sure I'll find out sooner or later.

"Cloudia, use moonblast!" Cloudia fires a pink orb of energy towards Skarmory. I can tell she didn't hit him with all of her strenght. She likes Skarmory so much that she's holding back. But either way, the attack is not too effective.

"Skarmory, attack with steel wing!" Skarmory looks at Cloudia almost like if he was saying "I'm sorry." As he approaches Cloudia, his right wing glows white. Now Skarmory slams his wing into Cloudia and instead of returning to his spot, he watches Cloudia closely. She is having a hard time trying to get up and Skarmory seems worried. But finally, Cloudia rises up again. Skarmory goes back to his spot with a relieved expression on his face.

"Cloudia, now use dragon pulse!"

"Skarmory, retaliate with aerial ace!" Skarmory flies towards Cloudia as he gets engulfed by streaks of white light. But I feel like he's not being as fast as he should. All because of Cloudia. It reminds me of how I first felt upon getting there.

"Cotton guard!" Cloudia's fluff puffs up right before Skarmory hits her. But anyway the impact almost sends her to floor. Her battle against Drake's pokémon is taking its toll now.

"Skarmory, use toxic!" The pokémon looks back at his trainer, as if he was saying "Are you crazy?" Skarmory doesn't look very convinced, but he ends up firing from his mouth a stream of thick purple liquid. The liquid covers Cloudia and slowly drips off of her. She breathes with difficulty and falls to the floor. I crouch next to her to check her condition. Cloudia has fainted.

Now I have two pokémon left and Steven is still at his first pokémon! But I'm not going to give up yet. I have Venus and Skarmory is a steel and flying type. It should be easy.

"Thank you Cloudia, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here. Now return." I put her pokéball on my bag and I grab Venus's. "It's your turn, Venus!" I can tell Venus knows what's going on. She's eager to fight. But suddenly, I see her wince and move away from her spot. The spikes! So that's what they were for, huh?

"I hope my question doesn't bother you but, how many pokémon do you have left?" I don't know if it's a question I should answer, but I will do it anyway.

"Only two."

"I see. Anyway, I can tell your pokémon are pretty strong. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here. And remember, you could do worse."

"You're right." I chuckle softly. "But now, let's continue. This time your pokémon hits first."

"Alright, thank you! Skarmory, use aerial ace!" This time Skarmory doesn't hold back and he flies towards Venus at a great speed, knocking her down with the impact.

"Venus, respond with aqua tail!" Venus promptly gets up and her tail gets covered in a spiral of water. In the blink of an eye, Venus slams her tail onto Skarmory, sending him to the floor with a big racket.

"Great!" Steven exclaims, making my cheeks burn violently.

"Thank you… I guess."

"Now Skarmory, use toxic!"

Damn! "Venus, dodge the attack!" The purple liquid ends up soaking the wall behind me. "You just said that to distract me, didn't you?"

"That was not my intention. Sorry if it seemed like it." Damn, now I'm going to make him feel bad again!

"It's alright. I don't know what's wrong with me today…"

"Don't worry. You are feeling nervous. I think that telling you to relax won't help, because being calm in this situation is almost imposible. But I will only say that no matter what happens, I won't judge you or anything."

That's exactly what I needed to hear. If it wasn't because we are in the middle of a battle, I would go and hug him again right now. But the battle must continue.

I smile "Thank you! I feel a bit better now. So, let's continue!"

"I think it was your turn now." Steven points out.

"Ah, it's true! Venus, go with ice beam this time!" Venus fires several white beams with light blue outlines towards Skarmory, who had managed to rise up, but now gets knocked down again. Surprisingly, Skarmory gets up yet again, although he is having trouble trying to take flight.

"Skarmory, use aerial ace as you can!" The steel and flying type makes a great effort as he flies towards Venus. In a few seconds, Skarmory hits Venus and returns to his position. This time the blow doesn't affect her too much.

"Now Venus, use aqua tail!" Her whole tail gets covered in water and she delivers a powerful hit to Skarmory, who finally gets knocked out.

What I feel right now is hard to explain. I feel guilty and proud at the same time.

"Well, now I have one pokémon less. Good job Skarmory. Now, return!" Now he grabs a different pokéball. "Your turn, Claydol!" The next pokémon resembles a mud statue and has a heap of eyes. I wonder how things look like with so many eyes…

Trevor will easily take care of this one. I return Venus to her pokéball and I send out Trevor. I can tell he recognizes Steven, but he's still eager to fight against his pokémon.

"I believe the last time I saw Trevor was at Seafloor Cavern. I can see he has grown even stronger since then." Steven comments upon seeing Trevor. I can't help but smile like a fool.

"Thank you! We have been training very hard." I finally stop grinning like an idiot. "You can start this time."

"Thank you. Claydol, use light screen!" A golden box of light appears around Claydol, which will minimize the damage of certain attacks.

However, I must be cautious since I don't know which moves this Claydol might have. I don't want to have the same problem than with Drake's Kingdra.

"Trevor, use gigadrain!" I will have him use gigadrain on Claydol a couple of times so he can restore most of his energy. This way, it will be easier for Trevor to take out Steven's pokémon… unless Claydol has an ace up his sleeve. But Trevor gets to drain part of Claydol's energy, but not as much as he should. I guess it's because of the effects of light screen.

"Claydol, now go with extrasensory!" Claydol's eyes glow gold and he fires a rainbow-colored beam from his right arm. The impact makes Trevor fall immediately. I can see that the attack is very powerful. I knew something like this would happen.

"Trevor, use gigadrain once more!" Almost without a problem, Trevor gets back on his feet. Light green beams go from Claydol to the seeds on Trevor's back. As soon as he's done, the protective screen around Claydol disappears.

"Claydol, now use reflect!" Claydol holds out his arms and a round, light blue protective screen appears in front of him. But that won't be enough to stop Trevor!

I think that he should use gigadrain once more. Then we will be good to go. "Gigadrain, one last time!" Just like I say, Trevor takes away yet again part of Claydol's energy and it looks like this time he gets a bit more. Also, Trevor seems to be finally in his best condition.

"Claydol, use earth power this time!" Claydol's body glows golden and the ground starts to shake. Glowing gold cracks spread all around and when they reach Trevor, he winces and starts having trouble keeping his balance.

"Trevor, counter with dragon claw!" Quickly Trevor charges for Claydol and strikes him with his right hand. The attack makes Claydol crash against the floor as the protective screen in front of him fades away.

"Claydol, use extrasensory again!" Like before, his eyes glow golden and he fires a multicolored beam from his left arm. Trevor tries to stand his ground but falls on his knees. Either way, Claydol's attack is way less intense than before and he looks weaker. I think one hit or two should be enough to take him down.

"Trevor, go and use leaf blade!"

"Claydol, use reflect again!"

"Quick Trevor, attack before Claydol can protect himself!" Just as Claydol holds out his arms, Trevor slashes his face, which catches Claydol by surprise and makes him fall. His fall raises a cloud of dust, which slowly disappears as I wonder if we defeated Claydol already.

"Well, it looks like he fainted. Thank you Claydol, now return." Steven says as he presses the white button in the middle of Claydol's pokéball.

The mixed feelings attack me again. I don't know how I will feel if I happen to defeat Steven. And for now, it looks like something probable. If I lose, I will be unhappy with myself, but if I win, I will feel like a terrible person. This is so complicated…

"Are you going to switch your pokémon? Aggron is waiting." Steven's voice suddenly makes me snap out of my thoughts. Now a huge metallic pokémon, who resembles someone wearing an armor, is standing at the other side of the battle field. I didn't realice he sent out another pokémon.

"Ah yes, yes I will. Trevor, you did great, now rest for a bit." Now it's Venus who I send out to the battle, leaving that Aggron to her.

"I see you are not holding back at all and I like that. Don't be afraid to hit us with everything you have!" Steven says in a calm tone. Despite that, I still feel a bit doubtful, but I will definitely go for it. The real battle has just started.

"Alright, don't hold back either. What's more, I let you… No, I demand you to attack first!" I know what I'm doing. I know Venus will be able to endure wathever that Aggron has in store for her.

"Thank you. Aggron, use earthquake!" Aggron stomps his left foot against the ground, making the whole battle field shake. Venus can barely keep herself steady.

"Venus, try to go with hydro pump!" As she struggles to keep her balance, Venus fires a huge stream of water from her mouth towards Aggron. The impact of the stream of water sends the heavy pokémon against the wall with a big racket.

"Aggron, attack with stone edge!" Once Aggron gets to go back to his spot, he slams his right foot against the ground and several stone pillars appear right under Venus, sending her upwards and making her fall abruptly.

"Venus, are you alright?" She wiggles a bit in the ground and gets up. "Perfect! Use aqua tail!" She advances towards Aggron quickly, but it looks like she's in a bit of pain because of Aggron's attack. Her tail covers in water and she slams it in the middle of Aggron's chest. The steel giant cries in pain and collapses to the ground, but it looks like he's still holding on.

"Woah, he can barely keep his eyes open! I will have to heal him." Steven says as he grabs a full restore from his pocket.

I feel like saying "I'm sorry", but that would sound stupid because that's how battles work, a pokémon will unavoidably get hurt. I have to say something else. "Is Aggron alright?"

"Yes, don't worry." Immediately, Aggron gets back on his feet, ready to give it all. "Let's continue, shall we?"

"Yes! Venus, go with hydro pump again!"

"Aggron, avoid it and counter with iron tail!" The steel and rock type manages to avoid the jet of water and hits Venus with his tail. The attack is not too effective, but Venus seems to be sore from the hit.

"Okay Venus, hit with aqua tail!" Her tail gets covered in a spiral of water and she smacks Aggron with it, who gets hurt but not as much as before.

"Aggron, use dragon claw!" Aggron charges at Venus as his claws glow white. This time he won't get to hit her.

"Venus, stop him using aqua tail again!" Before Aggron can reach her, Venus hits Aggron producing a loud, metallic noise. I can see in Aggron's face that he didn't see it coming.

"It's okay Aggron, use stone edge!" Again, several stone pillars appear right under Venus, injuring her and making her fall just like the last time. Having an hyperpotion now would be great…

Both ice beam and dragon tail aren't very effective against Aggron, but I don't want to spam hydro pump and aqua tail all the time. I guess that a bit of damage is better than none at all.

"Venus, go with ice beam!" Just like I told her, Venus fires an icy blue beam towards Aggron. And, as I imagined, the attack barely stings him.

"Aggron, attack with dragon claw again!" The large metallic pokémon runs towards Venus and strikes her with the claws on his left hand. Venus falls to the floor and rolls once, slightly hesitating to get up. Aggron's dragon claw has really hurt her. But Aggron doesn't seem to be in the best condition either. Maybe the best would be to spam hydro pump and aqua tail like crazy.

"Venus, attack with the most powerful hydro pump you can pull off!" Venus focuses for a bit and fires an enormous blast of water towards Aggron. The steel and rock type crashes against the wall but miraculously, he didn't faint yet.

"Aggron, use earthquake, you can do it!" With a lot of difficulty, Aggron returns to his spot. The metallic beast stomps his right foot on the ground, making the whole arena shake.

The tremor makes Venus have trouble keeping her balance and she seems to be feeling pretty annoyed by it. She ends up falling due to the constant shaking. But it's time to finish this battle. "Venus, attack with aqua tail once more!" She slowly gets up and starts to swing her tail as a spiral of water surrounds it. Aggron is literally too tired to move and as Venus hits him, Aggron instantly falls to the ground, defeated.

But Venus isn't in a very good shape either. Maybe the best would be switching her and send out Trevor. But first, I want to see who's Steven's next pokémon. Maybe Venus will be able to knock it out with no problem.

And that pokémon turns out to be Cradilly. Venus should be able to take her down with no problem whatsoever.

"I know this is foolish, but I grant you the first move." Steven manifests without abandoning his calm demeanor.

"No, you should have the first move since you are in a disadvantage this time too." I like to be a fair opponent but honestly, I doubt I would have done this for any other person.

"Thank you, that's very kind from you." Hearing him say things like that will always make me feel warm inside. "Cradilly, use sludge bomb!" The pokémon, who looks like some sort of flower, fires a disgusting brown liquid towards Venus through her tentacles. Venus gets covered in brown sludge and she's visibly disgusted by it.

"Venus, attack with aqua tail!" As the sludge drips, Venus swings her tail and as soon as it's covered by a considerably big spiral of water, she slams her tail onto Cradily. The rock and grass type gets violently shaken by the hit, but surprisingly she doesn't move from her spot.

"Suction cups ability." Steven explains upon seeing my confused expression.

"I see."

"Now Cradily, use ancient power!" Her tentacles glow and a white ball of energy glows in front of each one of them. I watch how these balls of energy morph into rocks and Cradily shoots them at Venus. The rocks hit her hard but Venus tries her best to endure the attack and in the end, she gets to stand her ground, albeit with a bit of difficulty.

"Hydro pump!" Venus opens her mouth and shoots a stream of water towards her rival. Again, Cradily is buffeted by the attack, but thanks to her ability, she's still standing up. It's like hitting a punching ball!

"Cradily, use gigadrain now!" Cradily's tentacles glow light green and an energy beam of the same color goes from Venus to each one of them. I don't like this, Venus seems even more tired and now Cradily is a bit more alert.

But I still think Venus can at least take Cradily down. It should only take two hits, and I don't think that any of Cradily's attacks can hurt her too much, aside of gigadrain.

"Okay Venus, go and use dragon tail!" She staggers a bit as she approaches Cradily, but Venus delivers a blow with her tail to Cradily. The rock and grass type rocks back and forth after the hit, until she manages to stop.

"Cradily, use sludge bomb again!" The fossil pokémon shoots again a nasty brown liquid towards Venus, who has just started to pant. I hate to see her like that, but I'm pretty sure that it will only take one more hit to take Cradily down.

"Now Venus, hit her with hydro pump!" I can see she's making a great effort, it's being very difficult for Venus to gather energy for that attack. But finally, Venus blasts a jet of water towards Cradily, althought this time is not as powerful as usual.

"Come on Cradily, use gigadrain!" Cradily steals all what remains of Venus's energy, which is not too much.

And I can only watch how Venus falls to the floor, defeated. I gently pet her head as I remember the day I found her, when she was a little Feebas being verbally abused by her trainer. "You gave you all and that's what matters. Now it's time to rest." I utter as I return Venus to her pokéball.

Now I only have Trevor left while Steven still has three pokémon, although Cradily is not in her best condition either. "Everything is up to you, Trevor!" As soon as he's released, Trevor gets in a battle stance. He is perfectly aware of the fact that we are in a critical situation. But now, Cradily has to attack first since I had to switch my pokémon.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46: The end of the road Pt.2**

"Cradily, use sludge bomb!" The rock and grass type gets ready to fire that disgusting sludge yet again, but I can't afford to let Trevor get hit by it. If that happens, the battle might end right now.

"Trevor, jump as high as you can, don't let that liquid get you!" Just as Cradily shoots the beams of sludge towards Trevor's direction, my pokémon jumps like he never did before, taking advantage of his natural agility. "Use X Scissor once you hit the ground!" Trevor lands right in front of Cradily and slashes her face in an "X" like pattern. This time, Cradily can't stay anchored to the ground and falls knocked out. I can't believe there's just two pokémon to go…

"You got me on the ropes!" Steven chuckles as he makes his fainted pokémon go back to her pokéball.

"At least you are in a better situation than me. This is my last pokémon." I answer managing to pull off a calm tone. I feel extremely anxious, trying to figure out which will be the outcome of the battle.

"And also your strongest pokémon. Focus on trying to give me a hard time like you did until now. Believe me, this is one of the most exciting battles I had in a long time!"

I feel like my heart is going to stop at any moment. I don't know what's more flattering about that compliment: if the fact that the strongest trainer of Hoenn said it or the fact that the man I love said it.

"I'm glad you say that! It's pretty much the same for me. Now I want to see who's your next pokémon!" Depending on who that is, the battle might be very easy or get extremely complicated.

"Well, here he goes. It's your turn, Armaldo!" The next pokémon catches my attention pretty quickly, since his eyes are protruding from the sides of his head. Wow, today I saw lots of strange pokémon!

"I think the fairest would be letting you start this time." Steven says as he scratches the back of his head.

"I don't mind at all, but alright! Trevor, use leaf blade!"

"Armado, block him with metal claw!"

Both pokémon charge at each other, ready to attack. Trevor attempts to slash at Armaldo with the leaves on his right wrist, but Armaldo grabs Trevor's arm with his right hand as he gets ready to attack with the claws on his left hand. Trevor tries to block Armaldo's attack, but the fossil pokémon gets to slash at Trevor, making him fall backwards.

"Alright Trevor, attack with X Scissor!" Having Armaldo still near, Trevor crosses his arms and opens them in front of Armaldo's chest, hitting him in the process.

"Mine can do the same thing. Armaldo, use X Scissor too!" Armaldo pulls his claws into his shell and as soon as they come back out, he mimics Trevor's movement and attacks him right on the face, dealing an important amount of damage.

"It looks like now I'm the one on the ropes…" I mutter lowly so Steven can't hear me. "Trevor, use gigadrain!" Trevor absorbs part of Armaldo's energy through the seeds on his back. That makes him feel a bit better. I think he will have to use gigadrain the next time too, just in case.

"Armaldo, attack with crush claw!" Armaldo's claws glow white and he crushes them down on Trevor. The hits leaves Trevor quite sore.

"Trevor, use gigadrain again!" Trevor starts to recover energy once more.

"Armaldo, use X Scissor again!" The fossil pokémon attempts to attack Trevor while he's still healing. I won't let that happen!

"Trevor, stop him!" Trevor grabs Armaldo's arms right before the rock and bug type attacks him. They both struggle as Armaldo still tries to attack him, but finally Trevor prevails and pushes Armaldo. "And now use leaf blade!" As soon as I say this and before Armaldo can react, Trevor slashes him across the face, leaving the fossil pokémon dazed for a moment.

"Armaldo, attack with rock blast!" The red and white plates on Armaldo's neck glow white. Then, the back of his claws starts to release sand and Armaldo franctically attacks Trevor with them. It looks like he doesn't want to stop… "Armaldo, it's enough!" As soon as Steven tells him to stop, the rock and bug type finally leaves Trevor alone. The intense attack leaves Trevor panting.

I wait until Trevor catches his breath to tell him to use the next attack. "Trevor, go with dragon claw!" Trevor's claws glow light green and he strikes his rival with his right claws. Armaldo winces and gives one step back. The hit has damaged him more than I thought.

"Armaldo, attack him with X Scissor!" Like before, Armaldo pulls his claws into his shell. When they come back out, Armaldo crosses them and attacks Trevor in a "X" pattern. My pokémon falls to the ground but it's not over yet. He still has some energy remaining and a gigadrain should help him to last until the end and anyway, I can tell Armaldo is about to go down.

"Trevor, go with gigadrain once more!" Trevor absorbs what remains of Armaldo's energy as I watch how the fossil pokémon slowly loses his strenght and falls to the floor, defeated.

This makes me feel very happy but I hide it, since something in the back of my mind is telling me that feeling good at this moment is wrong. I simply give Trevor an encouraging pat on the back, without saying anything.

"We are both down to our last pokémon, this will be interesting without a doubt." Steven says as he returns Armaldo to his pokéball. My heart wants to break my ribcage. I managed to make it all the way to the end and that's already a success. But the thing is that I don't know what will be worse: winning or losing. I'm such a mess right now...

"So… I guess this is the moment of truth." I say as I look at Steven right in the eyes. He nods and grabs the pokéball belonging to his last pokémon. "We can do this, Trevor!" I whisper to the pokémon that accompanied me since the start of this journey. He's like family to me and if he ends up being defeated, that won't change. Trevor gives me a reassuring look, aware of the fact that I feel extremely nervous.

"I'm going to send out my last pokémon… Go, Metagross!" A very intimidating pokémon emerges from the pokéball. I instantly recognize that Metang from Southern Island. But he changed a lot: Metagross is like an arachnid robot and he looks very threatening. It's like if something pissed him off a lot.

"Well, he sure looks strong. No wonder you saved him for the end."

"And he can be even stronger. I hope you remember mega evolution."

Oh damn… At least we can be at the same level since Trevor can mega evolve too. "Of course, my pokémon is ready to take that. Bring it on!"

"Alright!"

And just like that, we both make our pokémon mega evolve. Trevor emits a ferocious cry after mega evolving, but that doesn't scare mega Metagross, who looks even more imposing than before. Now he's floating and his legs have become arms, giving the impression that he's going to deliver a punch at any moment.

But now I notice something: Trevor, is exhausted, but he's doing his best to keep holding on. That's understandable, he did a lot not just against Steven, but against all of the Elite Four members. All that is taking its toll on him now. And now I just realized that indeed, I should have allowed Venus to rest. Now I'm facing a problem, but I still hope that everything will turn out to be just fine. Even thought I'm not sure of what I want right now.

And before anyone can react, I tell Trevor to use his first attack "Go with dragon claw, now!" Trevor charges for Metagross as fast as he can and strikes him with both claws, but the attack barely does any damage. None of Trevor's attacks is very effective against Metagross. But doing a bit of damage is better than doing none at all, right?

"Metagross, attack with zen headbutt!" Metagross's body glows blue and he charges towards Trevor, slamming his head against him and throwing Trevor against the wall. This is one of the strongest pokémon I saw in my life, and this comes from somebody who faced a furious legendary pokémon!

"Alright Trevor, use X Scissor!" Trevor slowly gets up, but his legs waver as he tries to reach Metagross. If only I had an hyperpotion… I think I will have him use gigadrain next time. But fortunately, he manages to reach Metagross and attacks him right on the face, making the robotic pokémon move back a bit.

"Metagross, use giga impact!" Metagross launches himself towards Trevor at a terrific speed. Orange streaks of energy surround Metagross as he approaches Trevor. It's almost like a meteorite! And the hit is devastating like a meteorite impact. Trevor gets violently tackled to the floor and he is having a hard time trying to get up. I hope he can get to use gigadrain…

"Trevor, please try to use gigadrain!" He's pushing himself to the limit in order to try to get back on his feet. Once he gets to stand up, Trevor steals part of Metagross's energy through the seeds on his back, but it's not a lot of energy. Maybe it's insufficient, even.

"Metagross is not going to attack this time. He has to recharge." Steven explains as I take a look at Metagross. I can hear a faint panting sound coming from him. I can understand he has to rest, that attack is very powerful. Almost like if he just unbind his entire energy.

That gives Trevor a chance to recover a bit more of energy. "Trevor, go with gigadrain once more!" Almost without waiting for me to finish the sentence, Trevor steals some more energy from Metagross. This time it looks like he got to recover a bit more of health. And that might make a difference.

"Metagross, bullet punch!" Metagross's arms glow red as he approaches Trevor.

"Trevor, dodge the attack!"

But before Trevor can go anywhere, Metagross starts to spin on his side and hits Trevor repeatedly with his four arms. The attack leaves Trevor very dizzy. This is a terrible thing to witness. Trevor is close to fainting and Metagross barely has a scratch. Using gigadrain again would be almost useless. But still I don't want to admit I'm gonna lose! A good trainer never gives up, am I right?

"Trevor, attack with dragon claw and try to hit him as hard as you can!" Listening to my command, Trevor attempts to get up. He falls everytime he tries but eventually, he can reach Metagross and strike him with his left claw. After that, he leans on Metagross, panting heavily. I start to get teary eyed, seeing Trevor suffering that much is now what's making me feel guilty. Losing doesn't bother me, forcing my pokémon to go over their limits is what bothers me now.

"Metagross, go with meteor mash!" Metagross's body glows blue and tucks his four arms and points them towards Trevor. My pokémon can barely keep himself on his feet anymore. Metagross charges full speed at Trevor as he spins surrounded by a blue aura. I don't know whether to close my eyes or not, but it's too late. Metagross's impact sends Trevor flying across the room and he lands right by my side, where I can see that he just fainted.

I feel like nothing makes sense right now. For a moment I forget where I am as my legs give in and I fall on my knees. Right now I feel like I neglected my pokémon, specially Venus and Trevor. I close my eyes trying to hold the tears back. That's why I get slightly startled when suddenly I feel someone putting their arms around me, helping me to get up.

Once I'm back on my feet, I open my eyes to see that the person who helped me to get up is Steven. Who else, if he's the only person besides me in this room? I close my eyes again as I begin to cry into his chest, sobbing quietly. Like before, he pulls me closer to him, trapping me in a tight hug from which I don't want to escape. Feeling the warmth of his body against mine helps me to calm down slowly.

"What is upsetting you?" I suddenly hear him ask that.

I separate a bit and I look into his eyes, with tears still streaming down my face. "It's not the fact that I lost. It's the fact that I forced my pokémon to go beyond their limits… and I feel terrible for that."

"I understand… But you didn't force them. It happened because of the feelings they have towards you, the bond they share with you. If you are thinking they might be angry at you, then you are mistaken, it's quite the opposite." He gently wipes away my tears with his thumb and I start to feel all warm inside.

"So… You think I shouldn't worry?"

"Exactly. So please, stop feeling upset and think about this: not everybody can reach this place. Even if you didn't defeat me, what you and your pokémon did today is worthy of admiration. When we were battling, I could see that the bond you share with your pokémon is very solid. You really care about them and that, Emily, is the most important part of being a trainer."

I sigh quietly, feeling calm at least. "You are right. A trainer can't be a trainer without caring about their pokémon. Now I'm feeling better… Thank you."

Steven kisses my cheek in response, which yet again, catches me by surprise. His attitude is starting to make me feel disconcerted. He's still holding me close. Probably he just wants to make sure I feel calmer now. But again, why did he kiss me? Was it necessary?

"Are you alright? Suddenly, you look distracted." Damn, he noticed it!

"Yes! I was just… thinking. Ah, by the way, I forgot to return Trevor to his pokéball!" I hesitate a bit, but I separate from Steven. He also seems to hesitate before letting me go. All this is starting to make me feel strange.

And suddenly, I see Trevor attempting to get up but failing miserably. I crouch in front of him. "Trevor, stop! You are too weak now, you have to rest!" And Trevor clings to me, giving me a hug. I immediately hug him back. He knows I was feeling terrible. Now I feel completely reassured, if Trevor still trusts me, then all my other pokémon do.  
I reach for his pokéball in my bag and I withdraw him, finally allowing Trevor to rest.

"See? You didn't have to worry." Steven smiles warmly.

"Yeah, now I can leave at peace." But as soon as I say that, I realize I can't leave yet. I remember everything my parents told me two weeks ago. I think this is the moment… But I'm afraid of his response.

Either way, as mom said, there's risks worth taking and this is one of them. "Uh, actually, I can't leave yet. I have to tell you something first."

"Go ahead." He seems calm and that helps me to feel reassured, but I still fear his reaction.

"I will have a hard time saying this… First of all, do you understand how much I appreaciate our friendship?"

"Yes, I do. Your friendship is very important to me as well."

I take a deep breath before continuing. I feel like I can collapse at any moment. "Okay… I don't know how to say this but… Some time ago I started to feel different about you, specifically, the day Latios asked for our help. Since that day, you have been on my thoughts every moment of the day. And… after all we've been through together I think I can safely say that… I love you. I swear that, when we first met, I had no idea you would end up being so important to me. But that's how it is, I never loved any other man this much." I feel like I just left go a very heavy burden.

I look into his eyes, I can tell he's shocked. Steven is not saying anything. I knew it, I knew I shouldn't have said this. I knew he didn't feel the same. "I bet you want me to leave, don't you?" I murmur as I slowly back away. I want to cry again.

"No." Steven has a very serious expression. "I need to tell you something too."

I approach him again. I have a feeling that he's going to say that he already has someone way better than me, that I'm pathetic and that he doesn't want to see me again. But he holds my hands and looks deeply into my eyes. I can't help but stare back.

"I have to admit something." He starts. "When we first met, something told me that you were special. But I had no idea you would end up being so dear to me. You might not believe me but…" He suddenly pauses as he tightens the grip on my hands.

"Are you alright?" I start to feel concerned.

But suddenly, Steven gets even closer to me and he gently kisses my lips. I feel like I'm going to die, explode or maybe both things at the same time.

"Emily… I love you too. I knew it since you entered the Cave of Origin. I was afraid of losing you, my heart wanted to break at the mere thought of something happening to you. And when you came back… I never felt so relieved in my life. Now I believe that you are the one for me."

I just can't believe it. I feel like I have an horde of Beautifly inside me. Following an irresistible impulse, I put my arms around his neck and I kiss his lips. Steven encircles my waist with his arms and pulls me close to him, so close that I think I can feel his heart pounding against his chest. This is the best sensation in the world, I never imagined kissing someone would feel so good. And the fact that I'm kissing the man I want to spend the rest of my life with just makes it better.

I slowly separate from him. Steven smiles and strokes my cheek. "Maybe I fell for you unexpectedly… But now I want it to last forever."

"Do you really mean that?" I ask without containing a coy smile.

"Of course I do." He kisses my cheek this time. "If you were a stone from my collection, you would be my favorite, no doubt."

"You are so sweet!" I kiss his cheek as well. He smiles and looks at me with a expression that makes me want to melt.

We remain silent for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes, until Steven breaks the silence. "What are you going to do after this? Are you going to keep training with your pokémon?"

His question catches me off guard, I didn't think about that. But suddenly, I remember my interest in pokémon rangers. Now I remember that Steven himself told me that I would make a good ranger. "I will probably keep training with them, but the idea of becoming a ranger suddenly sounds very good to me. Do you think it would be good if I became one?"

"Of course! You should do whatever makes you happy and if that will make you happy then, go for it!"

I look at Steven and still I can't believe the fact that he's now my boyfriend. I'm so looking forward to see what the future has in store for us… "Then, that's what I will do! I'll rest a couple of days and then I will visit that ranger school in Fortree City to see how that works."

"I hope it goes well. I know it will go well for you." And he kisses my forehead. I briefly kiss his lips in response.

We hug each other, but this time is not a tight hug. It's a tender embrace, one of these hugs that makes you want to close your eyes and enjoy the moment. Now I feel like I'm ready to face whatever the future has in store for me. I feel like this is a new start.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47: Ready for a new beginning**

Waking up in your own bed after so much time traveling is a great experience. I didn't really realize how much I missed my home until this moment. But that doesn't mean that I didn't like traveling. All the memories of my journey are very important, even the bad ones. And then, there's what happened yesterday… I will never forget what happened yesterday. Battling the Elite Four is a crucial moment for every trainer. Although the most important for me is what happened after defeating the Elite Four…

Right now I'm getting ready to go and have breakfast with my parents but first, I will talk about how my trip back home went. I didn't tell anything to my parents yet regarding what happened yesterday. Soon you will see why!

Before leaving the Pokémon League building, I went straight to heal my pokémon. After all these battles, they need it more than ever! The same nurse from before was there.

"Hey! Did it go well?" She asked in a friendly manner.

"Well, I managed to make it to the champion, but I couldn't defeat him." I couldn't help but smile as I said that. I bet the nurse thought I'm crazy or something.

"Oh! Well, our champion is very strong, but so is the Elite Four. You being able to beat them means you must be a very skilled trainer."

"Thank you! I guess so…" I answered as I put all the pokéballs inside my bag.

"I bet your battle against the champion was very interesting!"

"Yes… Very interesting!" Again, I smiled like a fool as I finished the sentence.

The nurse smiled as well. "I'm glad to hear that! Now, if you are going somewhere far from here, be careful!"

"I will!" And with that, I finally left the building. As soon as I did that, I sent a message to my parents. All I said was that I was going back home and that I would be there in a few hours.

Going across Victory Road took less time than I imagined. In less than forty minutes, I was back at Ever Grande City. As soon as I reached the shore, I released Venus into the water. As I thought, she wasn't mad at me or anything, Venus didn't mind having to take me all the way from Route 128 to Route 103. Yes, I know I could have reached Route 103 in no time if I went there flying with Hershey or even Alyx, but I needed time to think about how would I tell my parents about what happened, I felt like I needed a long trip.

I saw many trainers along the way. Some were just relaxing, but others were looking for battles. A few of them asked me for one, but I politely refused their offer. I already battled enough people! Also, as I surfed with Venus, I observed the landscape thoroughly. I remember that something caught my attention: not too far away, I could see some sort of tower. I wonder why there is a tower in the middle of the sea… it must be an important place or something.

I can't say for sure how much the trip lasted, but when we reached Route 103, it was night-time already. Of course, we made several stops along the way so Venus wouldn't get too tired. Now all I wanted was to see my parents and the pokémon I had to leave at home. As soon as we reached Route 103, I expected to see Cataegis. It was already night-time, but it was still a bit early for my parents to withdraw him, so I assumed he would be there.

I waited for a while, still in the waters of Route 103, but nobody was there. I started to call his name, but there was no response. I told Venus to surf around the route a couple of times, but Cataegis was still nowhere to be seen. I was starting to get really worried. I asked Venus to take me back to firm ground. Once I was out of the water, I returned Venus to her pokéball, finally allowing her to rest.

I started to torment myself with all the possibilities: What if Cataegis got lost? What if he left because he thought I wouldn't come back? Or… What if Team Aqua came and took him away? No, that would be impossible! I called his name a few times but, just like all the other times, there was no answer whatsoever. I was so distressed that I even started to feel dizzy.

But suddenly, something rose from the water. It was Cataegis! He began to emit happy cries upon seeing me. As for me, there are not enough words to describe how happy and relieved I felt.

"There you are! Why would you make me worry like that?" I said pretending to be angry. I approached Cataegis and I pat his head in an affectionate manner. Cataegis responded by making low, purr-like noises. "Now I'll go to get your pokéball. Please stay here, I will be back soon!" And as soon as I finished the sentence, I began to run through Route 103, with Oldale Town being my destination.

I reached my home town in a short period of time. As soon as I reached my house, I grabbed the keys from my bag and I opened the door. Knowing them, I expected to see my parents as soon as I crossed the door, but they weren't there.

"Mom, dad, I'm home!" I waited a few seconds, expecting an answer, but nobody came to receive me. I walked towards the kitchen hoping to find them there, but my parents weren't in that room.

I headed towards the living room and there I found out why they didn't say anything: Mom and dad were asleep in the sofa, cuddled up to each other. Seeing them like that made me smile and I didn't want to disturb them. So, being as silent as a ninja, I headed towards their bedroom since I imagined they would keep Cataegis's pokéball there. But after looking for it everywhere, I couldn't find it. "It must be in my room, then." I said to myself.

And sure enough, there it was, placed on my drawer. Alyx's pokéball was there as well. And speaking of Alyx, she wasn't there to receive me either… After putting the pokéballs inside my bag, something told me to head towards the garden and that's exactly what I did. As soon as I got there, I saw Alyx. She was sleeping like a log. I smiled as I shook my head and I returned Alyx to her pokéball. Now I just had to do the same with Cataegis and I would finally have all of my pokémon with me.

Returning to Route 103 was easy. There was nothing to distract me and I could spot Cataegis almost immediately. As I told him, he didn't move from his spot. I walked towards Cataegis as I grabbed the master ball from my bag. "Well Cataegis, it's time to go back home!" I pressed the white button in the middle of the device, making Cataegis return to it. Finally, I reunited all of my pokémon! And that meant I could go home and sleep for once and for all. I had lots of things on my mind, but falling asleep would be easy since I was pretty tired.

When I reached my house, I opened the door as silently as possible just in case my parents were still asleep. As I suspected, they were still in the sofa, sleeping like a log as they hugged each other.

"Goodnight." I whispered before turning the lights off and heading to my room.

When I reached my bedroom, I closed the door and I changed into my pajamas in the blink of an eye. After that, I snuggled under the blankets and the last thing I remember was asking myself if Steven would be doing fine. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep almost immediately! After all, it was a very intense day and I was too exhausted.

And that brings us back to this moment. Just some minutes ago, my mom came and told me that breakfast was almost ready. I can already smell the pancakes from here! I just finished putting my clothes on and I'm pretty much ready to join my parents in the kitchen. I put my glasses on and I place my hand in the doorknob, but now I can hear my phone ring. I'm pretty sure it's someone who got the wrong number. Dealing with that kind of calls can be annoying, since sometimes the person at the other side can be pretty insistent.

I grab my phone expecting to see an unknown number, but the person calling is not unfamiliar to me… It's Steven. It feels like if time just froze. Of course, I answer the call.

"Hello?" I say in a low tone due to a sudden feel of shyness.

"Hello, my dear! I just called to see how you are doing." He answers cheerily.

"I'm doing well! I just woke up. What about you?" Despite feeling a bit awkward at first, now I feel more comfortable all of sudden. He's my boyfriend, after all!

"I reached the Pokémon League building right now. I think today is going to be a hard day of work!"

"Being a Champion is a hard job." I state remembering how close I've been to take that role "But anyway… I know you will do great, I don't think anyone can beat you!"

"Do I have to remind you how close you came to do that yesterday?" His voice sounds friendly.

I giggle a bit "No, you don't have to!" After finishing the sentence, I can hear a faint voice in the background through the phone.

"Emily, I have to go now. I wish we could talk longer." Steven says after responding to the person who was talking to him.

"Aww, I wish we could talk a bit more too. Send me a message when you can… Just to let me know that you are alright."

"I will. I'm glad to know that you are doing fine. We will talk later." He pauses a bit and suddenly says something that I wasn't expecting, leaving me speechless. "I love you."

"I love you too." I respond as my cheeks burn all of sudden. Hearing him say that still surprises me, I guess I will have to get used to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't like it; it's just that this is a brand new thing for me.

Steven hangs up and as soon as he does, I open my bedroom's door and I head to the kitchen. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to tell them about what happened yesterday, specially the thing about my relationship with Steven. What if they told me that they approve, but they actually don't? I don't think so; my parents aren't that kind of people. I'm thinking about it too much!

Before I can realize, I'm already on the kitchen. My parents are sitting at the table; they have been waiting for me.

"Well well well well!" Dad exclaims cheerily "It turns out Hoenn's best trainer already woke up!"

"You have to tell us everything!" Mom is equally excited.

Now I'm really nervous. I will have to speak carefully, I don't want to disappoint them, it looks like they really think I defeated the champion! I sit down and I smile before starting to talk.

"It went… pretty good. The Elite Four was quite a challenge; they aren't the Elite Four for nothing!" My parents smile and nod as they hear me. "Surprisingly, I could beat them."

"And then…?!" They say loudly in unison.

"Then I faced the champion." My parent's expectation is more than evident. I can't let them linger. "It was a very intense battle and I did everything I could, I even got to battle his last and strongest pokémon! But in the end, and despite everything, I couldn't beat him."

I pay attention to their reactions. They don't seem too disappointed. Does that mean they expected me to lose?!

"Alright…" Mom starts with a serene expression "Don't you remember what we told you before you left?" Yes! I remember very well what they said.

"We don't mind that you lost against the Champion! What you did is more than enough and, as long as you are satisfied with what you did, then we will be glad too." Dad's words make me feel even more relieved.

But telling them the other thing will be way more complicated. I can't keep it to myself because it's something they must know!

"Oh, I forgot!" Mom exclaims all of sudden after a moment of silence "Won't you tell us who the Champion is?"

Well, the moment has arrived… I only answer with a nervous smile as I try to find the exact words to explain everything.

"And well?" Dad inquires with a hint of impatience.

"You want to know who the champion is?" I ask pretending to be surprised by the question.

"Why, of course!" My parents answer leaning towards me as if they wanted to hear me better. Are they imagining something already?

"Okay then." I still feel wary but I think the best will be telling them quickly, without beating around the bush. "I think you know him, I talked about him quite a few times… The champion is Steven." Their faces change from a relaxed expression to a look of absolute shock. It turns out they didn't see it coming!

"Wow! How did you manage to battle him?" Mom asks with her eyes wide open.

"Believe me, it was very hard at first, but I had to do it!"

"No offense, but now I can't help but wonder… Did you lose on purpose?" I'm not offended; I can see where dad is coming from.

But mom replies before I can say something "Greg, don't say that kind of things! Of course she didn't lose on purpose! Didn't you listen to what she said before?"

"Okay, but don't bite me!" Dad jokes as he raises his hands.

And now I don't know what else to say. Maybe I'm just waiting to be betrayed by my expression. Or maybe I'm waiting for my parents to ask more questions. But my parents remain silent, although I can tell they want to know more, I'm sure that now they are really feeling that there's something else behind. Now I can't leave them hanging.

"And… There's something else you should know." I finally decide to explain the rest.

"We are listening." Mom affirms calmly.

I take a deep breath "After the battle, I had a little meltdown. I felt that maybe I pushed my pokémon too hard and Steven comforted me, seeing in the condition I was. But that's not all; during that moment, I somehow got the courage to tell him everything."

"Everything?" Dad seems to not recognize what I mean at first, but he realizes quickly "Ooh…"

"And what did he say?!" Mom's excitement is more than evident!

"He… he reciprocates my feelings!"

I have no time to react. Before I can realize, I have my parents hugging me, both mom and dad at the same time. I think I'm starting to feel short of breath!

"We knew it! I had a feeling." Mom speaks frankly "You just didn't want to believe it."

"See? There's nothing wrong with expressing what you feel. You never know what the other person is going to say so, as your mother says, in life there are risks which are worth taking!"

"Well, now I'm glad I took that risk!" I respond as my parents return to their seats. As soon as they do, I finally take a few bites of the stack of pancakes on my dish.

My parents start eating as well, now we are in silence. I'm so glad that they took the news so well! I don't know why I expected otherwise, but there's always a chance that they would have reacted differently. Luckily, they didn't. Now I have to tell them about something equally important, and that's my decision of becoming a Ranger. Now it's when I'm not sure of how mom and dad will react, maybe they won't like the idea. Being a Ranger can be dangerous, after all.

This time I won't wait for them to ask. "There's something else I want to talk about." I announce as I put the knife and fork aside.

"Tell us what it is." Mom says as she puts her cutlery down, dad does the same.

"After what happened yesterday, I've been thinking about what I want to do next. During my journey, I've been interested in the work of Pokémon Rangers, so after thinking about it, I decided that I want to become one of them."

My parents seem to be thinking about it. If they don't like the idea, I will understand, but I'm old enough to know that this is what I want to do. "And well?" I ask in light of their silence.

"Are you aware that it can be a dangerous job? There can be accidents; it can be a risky job." Dad voices exactly what I thought they were going to say.

"But there are risks in life which are worth taking and I'm sure this is one of them too!" I respond hoping to show them that I'm really convinced.

"Your dad is right, but we aren't going to stop you from doing this if you really want to do it. And that's another important question, are you sure you really want to be a Ranger?"

"Yes, I am. I want to continue working alongside my pokémon, but this time helping others. I also wish to keep traveling around the region and I'm sure this job will allow me to do so. I just feel that I should do it. I'm not saying I was born for it, but trying won't hurt, I think!" I hope this convinces them!

"Well, that looks like a more than valid reason! This reminds me so much of when you said you wanted to become a trainer…" My dad sounds a bit nostalgic "In the end, you gave your best and succeeded, even if you didn't become the Champion. And you have been to places were barely anyone has been!"

"Yes, and we will never forget all those incidents with Team Aqua and the fact that Kyogre itself thought that you were worth of being his partner. That must mean something, right?" Mom says proudly.

"Well, I think so. Anyway, that doesn't make me a special snowflake. But I guess that if I could deal with catching Cataegis, I should be able to do what a Ranger does, right?"

"Yes!" My parents answer at the same time. Now mom speaks "I heard that the Ranger School at Fortree City is open for applications now. Maybe you should go and try!"

"That's great! If you don't mind, I will go there as soon as I'm done with breakfast."

"Of course we don't mind! Just keep in mind everything we told you and if for some reason you decide to back down, we won't make fun of you or anything. It's you choice, after all!" Dad stuffs his mouth with a piece of pancake after saying this.

"I doubt I will back down!" I smile as I grab my fork and knife again. Now I can't wait to finish these pancakes!

I hope the trip to Fortree doesn't take too long, I think Hershey's speed is more than enough to be there in a short amount of time. I have so many things on my mind that the fact of eating pancakes, which is something that I love, is in background. Will the school accept me? And if they do, how much time it will take me to get the qualification? And if I get that qualification, what kind of things will I experience? Which places will I visit? Will this job take me outside the region? Lots of questions that only time will answer…

Before I can realize, I already finished my breakfast. I think that I ate too fast… Well, I hope this doesn't happen again! But now it's finally time to leave for Fortree City! I pick up my dish and I take them to the sink, ready to wash it. But mom stops me.

"We will take care of the dishes! Now go to Fortree City and try to get that position on the Ranger School!"

I pretend to hesitate a bit, although what I really want to do is leave right now. I'm too anxious! "Alright, I'll be careful! I think it shouldn't take very long."

"Don't worry about that, just take all the time you need!" Dad says cheerily. It looks like they really trust me on this, after all. And that's a relief!

I run to my bedroom and I get Hershey's pokéball. I quickly cross the kitchen as I utter an "I'll be back soon!" to my parents and now that I'm finally outside the house, I throw Hershey's pokéball letting him out.

"Alright Hershey, we are going to Fortree City!" Hershey chirps as a response and turns around so I can ride his back. Once I do, he takes flight "Go as fast as you can, but don't tire yourself!" Hershey flies faster and the wind hits my face violently. But I don't mind that, I know that if I become a Ranger I will have to go through harsher things!

The landscape changes quickly and I can already see the famous tree houses of Fortree City in the distance. We will get there very soon! The first and last time I visited Fortree I didn't have time to visit the Ranger School, but now I'm finally going to do it. Also, that time I only wanted to look around, but this time I'm going with the purpose of being a part of it. I really hope they accept me, if they don't, I will have to look for a different option.

And I will find that out soon, since I already reached Fortree City. Time flies… literally! I get off of Hershey and I thank him for taking me there before withdrawing him. Now all I have to do is find the Ranger School. It shouldn't be too hard, it's also located on a tree house, but it looks a bit different. If I remember well, there's a sign with a little flag on top of the building. I think I won't have any problem finding it.

I walk around the small city at a quick pace and soon I spot the sign with the flag. Here we go! Now I am excited and scared at the same time, I have no idea of what kind of people they are looking for. What if I don't qualify? I think I'm just asking myself the same things over and over and that can stress me and make me feel more overwhelmed than I should… and that can't be good!

I climb the stairs on the trunk without hesitation and right now I'm finally at the door of the Ranger School. "Well, I guess I can do this!" I say to myself as I cross the door. As soon as I enter, I spot a desk where a tired looking woman sits. Behind her, there's a big orange flag with a symbol in the middle, which I guess is the Ranger's logo. I walk towards the desk with a smile on my face.

"Good morning. Are the applications still open?" I think my question was maybe too direct. Oh well…

"Oh, so you want to join the school? Fine, just fill this." The receptionist speaks monotonously as she hands me a form.

"Thank you!" As soon as I have the sheet in my hands, I eye it quickly.

It asks for basic information such as name, age, phone number, etc. There are a few questions too, they are very diverse. There's things like "Do you have any gym badge?" and "Do you have any experience with injured pokémon". Also, there's a question which reads "What are you doing here?" Well, I think the answer to that question is too obvious!

I ask for a pen to the receptionist, which she hands to me carelessly, as if she doesn't mind dropping it or something. But that doesn't happen and now I'm going to fill this, but the questions are making me a bit nervous. Some are answered with a simple "yes" or "no", others can be responded with a few sentences and then there are others which need a longer answer, but I won't let that be a problem. So I start answering them without further delay.

A few people walk by talking to each other as I write down on the paper, but that doesn't distract me, I am too focused on this to pay any attention. I only ask to myself, are they Rangers? If so, we might end up meeting soon!

Suddenly my hand hurts; I think I'm grabbing the pen too hard. But I don't want to stop; I must fill this sheet! The good thing is that now I only have to reply these questions which require shorter answers, since the most complex ones are first. I take a quick glance at the desk: the receptionist is filing her nails passively. It looks like she didn't have coffee this morning!

And in no time, I already filled the form! Now I just have to hand it over to the receptionist and probably wait a few days before they decide if I'm good for this or not. I get up from the chair I was sitting in and I extend the form to the employee in the desk.

"I finished filling the form."

"Very well. Now just wait until we call you." She sounds just like the first time she spoke to me.

"Yo!" An unknown male voice suddenly booms out of nowhere. I turn around to see how the person who just spoke looks like.

And I see a man who looks a few years older than me. From the way he looks, I can tell he's not native to Hoenn; his skin is pale, his eyes are light blue and his hair, which is pulled in a ponytail, is blonde. He's wearing an outfit that reminds me slightly of the ones the Rangers I saw along my journey wore, but it's pretty different. Maybe he is…

"Oh, hi Aarune. Have you finished already?" The receptionist greets keeping her monotone voice.

"No, not yet! I'm just taking a lil' break." So his name is Aarune. It does sound foreign. He's definitely not from here. I wonder which region he came from and what does it look like… "Hey!" Aarune suddenly exclaims making me snap out of my thoughts. Does he want to talk to me? "Are you maybe a new student of mine?" Well, he definitely wants to talk to me and yes, my suppositions were right. He's the teacher here.

"No, but I'm interested in joining. In fact, I just filled an application."

"An application, huh? Samantha, can you lemme see it?" Aarune talks to the receptionist, who gives him the sheet I just gave her. Aarune starts reading it and looks very interested "Well… Emily, it says you got eight badges, no less! That's awesome!"

"I worked hard to collect them." I smile humbly.

"And you dealt with Team Aqua? The guys who stole the sub? You must be really tough!" He marvels out loud. All of this is going to make me blush! Aarune keeps reading the application with attention. He doesn't make any more comments. I wonder what he's thinking… Now suddenly returns the sheet to the receptionist.

I don't dare to say anything; I'm just waiting for Aarune to say something "Well!" He exclaims all of sudden, startling me "All the things I read there are pretty impressive. I had a few students just like you; they were already experienced trainers and believe me pal, that's something very helpful when becoming a Ranger. So, if all the things you wrote there are true, I think you are apt for becoming a Ranger!"

"Really? You think so?" I ask very enthused. Does this mean I'm accepted?

"Yup! You should give this a try if you want to. I think I can welcome you into my class. We will start next Thursday, don't you forget!" And he leaves without saying anything else. I look at the woman in the desk, who once again is filing her nails.

So now I'm a student here, which means that someday I will end up becoming a Ranger. I wonder how long that will take. But until then, I will have to get ready and study a lot! I'm lucky that Aarune showed up at this moment, now I don't have to wait, I already know I'm part of this school! If I end up becoming a Ranger, I wonder which kind of changes that will bring…


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48: First days**

The day has finally arrived: today is my first day at the Ranger School. I have no idea of what will I find here, but I guess that's what makes first days so exciting. Actually, this reminds me a lot of my first day as a trainer! I'm taking with me the same bag I used during my journey only that this time all I bring is a notebook, a pen and Hershey's pokéball.

Believe it or not, I'm already on my way to Fortree City. I was told that we start at nine o'clock, so I woke up almost at eight o'clock. I knew I would have plenty of time to get ready. That's one of the best things about having a flying pokémon; you don't have to worry about being late to places! You can reach them in the blink of an eye.

But even if the journey is going to be short, I'm enjoying it. Flying around early in the morning is really peaceful. Except for a few flying pokémon that pass by from time to time, there's nobody else, only Hershey and I. I think I will get used to these early morning flights in no time!

And before I can realize, I already see Fortree City in the distance. I think it would be a nice place to live. Maybe if one day I marry Steven… Who knows what can happen in the future?

I take a look at my watch: it's quarter to nine. Probably I won't need to worry about being late. I'm almost there anyway! I think I already see some trainers on Route 119. I bet they are eager to face some challenges today! I have my own challenge to face too…

...because I finally made it to Fortree. Hershey lands in front of the Pokémon Center.

"Hershey, thanks for bringing me there!" He emits a happy chirp as a response and I return him to his pokéball.

I walk towards the tree where the school sits. An old couple is taking a morning stroll and a girl is entering the Pokémon Center. This city is even calmer early in the morning! But now it's time to enter the school. I'm even more excited now.

As soon as I enter, I see the same receptionist from the other day. Just like that time, she looks kinda bored. Either way, I walk towards the desk.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where the class is?" I ask politely.

"Yeah… That door on the left." The woman says as she points towards a door at the end of a corridor.

"Alright, thank you!" I quickly walk through the corridor, anxious to open the door.

And once I do, I find quite a strange scene, at least for me; most of the people there is sitting on top of the tables rather than in their chairs. All of them are talking to each other in a relaxed way. As I can see, Aarune hasn't arrived yet. I think it's strange that the students arrive earlier than the teacher.

"I see we have yet another member in the group!" An unknown voice distracts me. I look to the left and there's a woman who appears to be older than me. Her blue eyes are kinda distracting "Nice to meet you, my name is Vicky. What about you?" She says before smiling. Vicky looks like a friendly person!

"Nice to meet you too! My name is Emily." I'm about to say something else, but someone blasts the door open.

"Yoo guys, sorry for being late the first day! That's something you wouldn't expect from the teacher, am I right?" Aarune finally appeared… This means the class just started. How exciting!

Everybody proceeds to get off of their tables, now sitting on their respective seats. "You can sit next to me." Vicky says as she takes seat in the second row. As she said, I sit at her right side.

Once, everybody is settled down, Aarune starts speaking "Alrighty, time to introduce myself! The name's Aarune, Unova-born and twenty-five years old. I've always been interested in pokémon and nature and after traveling around for a long time, I decided I wanted to become a ranger… And that's basically what brought me here!" Aarune looks around the class, observing his students. "Now guys it's your turn. I want y'all to raise your hand and say your name… One by one, of course! The last row starts."

People start saying their names. Some are nothing unusual, but others sound pretty exotic. For example, just now a girl introduced herself as Helga. I never met anyone with such a name! Now there's a boy named Yoel, it's still an unusual name but I heard it a few times.

Aarune doesn't say anything as we introduce ourselves. He just nods in response. It's strange; I think he looks like the kind of teacher who always has ready a comment or some sort.

"My name is Vicky." The girl sitting at my side just introduced herself. It's my turn now!

"My name is Emily." I say calmly. Aarune nods and waits for the next student to say his name.

"My name is George." He says promptly.

Only a few students are left. I hope we start learning about the profession already! I can hear my classmates, but I'm not really paying attention to them, I'm just discretely staring at my watch. Maybe I should calm down…

"My name is Erica." The last person introduces herself. Finally!

"Alrighty! Now that we all know about each other's names, we can start for good. First of all, who can explain what a ranger's job is?"

I raise my hand, willing to answer the question, but Aarune grants the right to speak to another person, a girl named Monica.

"A ranger must protect wild pokémon, keep the environment safe and guarantee the safety of those who travel through the wilderness." She explains confidently, as if she knew the explanation by heart.

"Very good, Monica!" Aarune cheers "See, guys? That's what this job is about. A ranger must be always ready for action; you never know when somebody will need your help. That's also a really important thing there: a ranger must be selfless, ALWAYS!" We all get startled because of the sudden change of volume.

"But what if we get hurt while we are working?" A young man asks.

"Well, if it happens, you can't do anything about it! These are tricks of the **TRADE**. But of course, we will talk about safety, nobody wants to have an accident at work, am I right?" Aarune exclaims while looking around the class, observing our faces.

"Then… Are we going to talk about safety and stuff now?" George, the boy sitting next to me, asks with an annoyed expression.

"Well, yes and no." Aarune walks towards his bag and gets out of it several dossiers, which seem to have only a few pages. "I want y'all to read this carefully, then we will discuss what it says!" He starts leaving a dossier on each desk.

Now he leaves one on my table, the cover reads "Safety tips for Pokémon Rangers", pretty self explanatory. There's a subtitle which says "How to protect nature without dying while trying". Was that really necessary?

Anyway, I open the small notebook. It starts with a small explanation of what the job of a ranger is about, which is basically what Monica said a little while ago. Then there is a table of contents which lists the subjects of the dossier. There's not too many things, but they are pretty important. For example, one of the sections deals with first aid and another one talks about how to stay safe in harsh conditions. That's actually the first part of the dossier.

I begin reading the first paragraph, but two classmates who sit behind me have started to chatter.

"Dude, have you seen this?" One of them says in a rather loud tone, he almost sounds offended.

"What's the matter?" The other person asks.

"Here, it says there instead of their! Who wrote this trash?!" The boy sounds really unhappy. I don't like blatant grammar errors, but it looks like he's making a big deal out of it!

"You need to calm out, really. I'm pretty sure it's just a typo!" The other boy responds.

I decide to stop paying attention. What I have to do now is read this. The first section is about safety in the desert. This is interesting; I know there's one not too far from here. There are things that I already know, for example, the importance of staying well hydrated while traveling through desertic areas. There are also tips on how to shelter from a sandstorm. I'm pretty sure all of this will come in handy someday!

All the information is very well organized and easy to read, not like those textbooks with huge walls of text! This can be read in the blink of an eye, although the most important is remembering what it says, not just eyeing the text. I hope I can be able to answer correctly if Aarune asks me something about this; I don't want to look foolish in the eyes of my classmates!

I take a quick glance at my watch. According to it, I've been here for half an hour already. Time goes by so fast! I actually feel like I just arrived. I hope we talk about something more than safety at work, although since it's the first day, I would understand that the teacher wanted to keep it simple.

"Is everyone reading carefully what the dossier says?" Aarune asks suddenly. Only a few people answer. I guess the others are too busy reading to say something.

As for me, I'm very focused on what's on the page. Although I just spotted the typo my classmate mentioned earlier. It's true, it stands out like a sore thumb, but I won't allow that to bother me. The rest of the text is what counts, after all! But to be honest, I wish we were doing this class outside, seeing things by ourselves instead of having to listen to an explanation while sitting in a classroom. Ah, it looks like I already miss the thrill of being on an adventure. Who knows, maybe I will embark in a new one someday!

Wow, the illustrations of the First Aid section are a bit unsettling. The injured person looks like is about to sneeze in all of them while the person attending him has an odd smile. Who would smile in a situation like that? I guess it's just a case of artistic license. Either way, it looks so weird!

Would I do well helping someone in danger? During my journey I always been the one being rescued, but that should change once I become a Ranger. Be it a pokémon or a person, I will make sure to be always ready to help them. That's what rangers do, after all!

"Alright, is everyone done reading?" Aarune questions with an energetic tone.

"Yes!" Answers most of the people. I heard a couple of "No", but I guess Aarune won't mind that.

And I didn't finish reading the whole thing; I still have a couple of paragraphs left. I hope that's not a problem! I'm kinda nervous, what if I am asked something and I don't know how to answer? Ah, I think I should stop worrying so much, that's something that can happen to anyone!

"Alrighty! Let's see if you guys got things clear. You, what can you tell me about bites produced by wild pokémon?" Aarune asks while pointing at someone in the last row.

"According to what I read, one of the most important things is act calmly and be careful not to enrage the wild pokémon even more."

"That's it, well said!" Aarune congratulates my classmate. "Will somebody say anything else? I'm sure there's more!" As Aarune speaks, Vicky raises her hand. "Yeh?"

"The bites must be treated quickly by cleaning and covering them. Also, ideally one should go to a Pokémon Center to have the wound checked, especially if the area around it swells."

"Good, very good! Remember guys, that's what you should do if you ever get bitten… But I hope it never happens, though!" It looks like Aarune really knows what he's talking about. I bet he experienced it before.

"Hey teacher, have you ever been bit by a wild pokémon before?" A girl asks, probably voicing everybody's thoughts.

"Yes! And boy, that was such a bad experience! A Sandile grabbed my leg with his jaws and he wouldn't let go! My Flygon had to help me to take him off of me. That happened all the way back in Unova."

"Wow! Do you have a scar or something?" Another person asks.

"Well of course! But I would have to take my boots off and believe me; my feet don't smell too good!" Aarune chuckles after finishing the sentence. The boy sitting by my side has a disgusted frown.

A faint murmur fills the class but everyone goes silent as Aarune clears his throat loudly. "What about first aid?" He asks. "Did any of you know anything about first aid before reading that booklet?"

"Me!" A girl exclaims excitedly. "I have plenty of experiences curing wounds. I used to work as a nurse in a camp."

"Good! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Who else wants to contribute with something?" Aarune scouts the classroom while talking.

I remember the day I caught Cataegis. In the middle of an anxiety attack, II fell and I got a really ugly bruise on my arm. When Steven saw it, he applied cold water to the area. Maybe it's time I finally say something, so I raise my arm.

"Yes?" Aarune grants me permission to talk.

"Applying cold water to a bruise helps to relieve the pain." I state naturally

"Yep, that's important too!" Aarune answers as he nods "Mostly because in this job bruises are fairly common." Phew, I'm glad that my input has been useful!

"Hey!" A boy exclaims "Does performing mouth to mouth resuscitation on an elderly woman in the Lavaridge hot springs count as having experience with first aid?" The whole class bursts into laughter, including myself, I can't help but giggle.

"Of course! You saved somebody's life, plain and simple!" Aarune answers enthusiastically.

I remember what Aarune told me last week. He likes it when people already know more or less what they are doing. But of course, there's nothing wrong with being a total novice at something. After all, nobody is born knowing everything!

And exactly because of that, I know that I will have to get the knack of a lot of things before becoming a ranger and that all the stuff I learned during my journey are probably just a little part of the things I must know. Anyway, I'm eager to learn even more!


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49: Into the wild**

It's been a week since I started attending the Ranger School. On the second day we were told that the course will last four months. Everybody, myself included, asked if that would be enough time to learn everything we need to know. Aarune assured that indeed, it would be more than enough, since it will be a really intense course. And he's right.

During the last week we have been learning about things such as the way we should behave with an injured pokémon, what kind of pokémon we can find according to the environment, ways to go through a route with harsh climate conditions, etc.

But not only that, the day before yesterday Aarune taught us self defense techniques. Well… Actually it wasn't him, but a friend of his. A black belt, to be exact, that man really knew what he was doing! He said that it wouldn't be the only time he will come over, so I guess that those lessons will become something regular. And yes, we practiced these techniques but no, we didn't hit each other for real. Although according to Aarune one day we will have to get physical with someone, like a poacher for example, so we must be ready for that. I hope I will never get caught in such a situation, although I already dealt with nasty things, like getting in the way of Team Aqua. What's more, I wonder if these fighting skills will ever be useful…

Anyway, today we are going to do something different. The class won't take place inside the schoolroom, but in Route 119! I knew we would have this kind of lessons and I was really looking forward to it, this is the first time we do some field work. I'm already heading to Route 119 along with my classmates. Yesterday Aarune told us to gather in front of the school before going to the route. And not only that, he also gave us the ranger uniform so we wear it today, as well as a bag with basic gardening tools. He also said that he would be already waiting for us in Route 119. I wonder what Aarune has ready for today!

I overhear the conversations of my classmates, the majority is as excited as I am. I doubt somebody has any complain about today's class, although I understand that some may prefer ordinary lessons. There is no accounting for tastes, after all!

Now we are already at Route 119, I remember very well my first time here. I had to go into the Weather Institute since Team Aqua was wrecking havoc. That's where Trevor became a Sceptile, during our battle against Shelly. But this time my stay on Route 119 will be calmer… I guess.

"Hey guys, here I am!" A familiar voice calls. But the owner of that voice is nowhere to be seen.

"Teacher, is that you?" A girl behind me asks in a surprised tone.

"That's correct!" And suddenly Aarune jumps out of the top of a tree, causing all of us to exclaim in awe. "Surprised?" He asks with a proud expression.

"We sure are!" Vicky, the girl who sits by my side in class, answers with enthusiasm.

"Great! Just so you know, one day you guys will learn to do the same… But today's not the day." A few disappointed sighs can be heard "Anyway, it's time to explain what we are going to do! Does somebody wanna try to guess?"

"I know what we are going to do: something" The class joker answers as if he was giving the most serious response possible.

"Very funny Yoel, but that's too vague!" Aarune clears his throat before continuing to speak. "Today you will learn about planting berries, approaching wild pokémon and the best part of today's lesson… How to build a secret base!" Aarune looks really excited now.

"Planting berries? Building secret bases? I thought this was a ranger school, not a… OUCH!" The boy speaking has been interrupted by a stomp from the person standing next to him.

"Now let's get going, I want to find a wider place since we will start with the lesson about approaching wild pokémon. It's one of the most important things you guys will learn during these months!" And with those words, we all start following him.

I didn't remember how hard it was to walk through this route! I don't know if it's just me, but the grass looks even taller than the first time I've been to this place. I guess it has been raining a lot around there. Speaking of that, this route is mostly known for its rainy weather, but it's not raining at all, although it could happen at any moment since it's pretty cloudy. However, it's still really hot. Thank goodness these clothes aren't too tight!

"This grass is too tall, it's getting on my nose! Achoo!" A feminine voice coming from a nearby patch of grass complains.

"Well Judy, if you walked through the path like everybody else is doing you wouldn't have any problem!" Yoel answers in a smug manner.

"Look who's talking, the guy who believed that the move spore can paralyze a pokémon!" Judy answers angrily as she emerges from the tall patch of grass.

A few trainers observe us; it looks like they would want to have a battle, but since they can see we are busy, they won't say anything. Now that I think about it, the last time I had a battle it was against Steven and I didn't really train my pokémon ever since. Now I wonder how I would do if I got caught up in a pokémon battle…

"Guys, here we are! This is where the class will start!" Aarune's voice makes all of us stop dead in our tracks. "I want you all to take a look at where we are right now."

Everybody takes a brief look at the surroundings. We are in the middle of a clearing, here the grass is not as ridiculously tall as in the rest of the route, which makes walking through it a lot easier. But its height is still considerable. After all, we must learn to walk through all kinds of terrain!

"As I said before, now we will learn how to approach a wild pokémon. I know some of you already have experience of this." I know he is referring to a few of my classmates… And I also know that I'm included amongst them. "But the way you will have to approach wild pokémon from now on is different."

"How so?" The girl standing next to me asks.

"That's very easy to explain, sis! Most of the time, a trainer will approach a wild pokémon with the intention of battling or catching it. But us rangers will only approach a pokémon with the intention of helping it, specially if it's injured. That's the difference, guys!" A few "Ooh"s can be heard.

"Teacher, are we actually going to see how it's done?" Yoel asks with a hint of impatience.

"But of course! We only have to wait until a pokémon decides to appear. Remember: we mustn't disturb them on purpose under no circumstance!"

"Understandable." Yoel answers to Aarune's statement.

"So, now let's wait until a pokémon decides to appear! It shouldn't be too long until that happens since some pokémon like Oddish or Gloom wake up at these hours. Now, guys, try to be really silent since we could scare them." Aarune makes a gesture prompting us to remain silent, reinforcing his words.

Now we are just staring at the tall grass, waiting for a pokémon to appear so Aarune can make his demonstration. Although that pokémon could come from the sky too, since this route is, along with Route 120, Tropius's regular habitat. Yes, that's something I learned from these classes!

Aarune casually stares at his watch for a brief moment and then looks around, paying special attention to the tall grass. I hope that a pokémon appears soon. Personally, I think it would be awesome if a Tropius dropped by, I don't remember seeing one face to face.

"Teacher…!" Vicky exclaims trying to get Aarune's attention as a patch of grass starts to rustle near him. Now all of us pay attention to that exact spot.

And now, a pokémon finally appears! It's green and really tiny. There's a red thing in the middle of his body and… He seems to have only one eye! I never saw a pokémon like this one in my life. Probably it's one of these new pokémon that appeared in Hoenn after the crisis with Cataegis was solved. Anyway, something is clear: this pokémon is really cute and endearing!

Everybody stares at the little pokémon with fascination and that, of course, includes Aarune.

"What… What kind of pokémon is this little fella here? I never saw something like this, never ever! And that's saying a lot coming from somebody who has traveled as much as I did!" Aarune marvels out loud as he starts walking towards the small pokémon, but now he stops all of sudden. "Oh right, now you guys must watch me with all of your attention, if that's possible." He resumes his way towards the strange pokémon.

We all watch in silence as he keeps approaching the creature, who hasn't noticed our presence yet. Aarune starts talking in a low yet audible voice "Something really important is establishing visual contact with the pokémon, but without looking at it directly in the eyes. If you do that, the pokémon will think we are challenging it." He takes another step forward and crouches near the pokémon. "If you crouch, you will make yourself look smaller and less menacing, which will help the pokémon trust you."

"HOW INTERESTING!" Yoel booms with enthusiasm, starling both Aarune and the pokémon he was trying to approach.

The tiny pokémon suddenly realizes we are there. He stares at all of us as his little face shows a shocked expression. Suddenly, the green creature emits a shrill cry and starts to jump away, disappearing through the same patch of grass where he came from.

"Now this is something y'all must remember. NEVER scream when there's a pokémon you want to help. You will only scare the pokémon and make yourself look like a threat!" Aarune is pretty upset. Not only his explanation was interrupted, but he also lost the chance to take a close look at such a strange pokémon. I would feel the same way!

"What are we going to do now?" A boy asks in a way that makes the question sound like a complain.

"We will just wait until another pokémon appears." Aarune still looks pretty disappointed.

And so does everyone else. Who knows how long it will be until another pokémon decides to show up? Hopefully a pokémon will pass by soon. I want to see the rest of the lesson! That is, if Yoel doesn't scare the pokémon again. I don't know why, but I feel that he did it on purpose…

But luckily, the grass rustles again. This time an Oddish is the pokémon who comes out. Just like the pokémon we saw earlier, it's minding its own business.

"I have an idea. Yoel, come here." Aarune says in a low voice.

"Who, me?" Yoel asks incredulously.

"Is there any other Yoel in the class?" Aarune answers as he prompts Yoel to come closer.

Yoel walks until he is at Aarune's side. "I hope you paid attention to what I was doing before because now you'll be the one doing the demonstration." Yoel seems surprised after hearing what Aarune just said.

"Err… I just have to be silent and try not to startle the pokémon, right?" He asks doubtfully.

"Yes, basically. Just try to mimic what I was doing before." After Aarune is done talking, he glances at the wild Oddish, who is still happily doing his own thing.

Yoel walks slowly, without making any sound. In fact, the whole area is silent, only our breathing can be heard. Now he crouches not too far from the pokémon. "Now what?" He asks afraid of scaring Oddish.

"Now try to get his attention. Clicking your tongue should be enough."

Yoel does as Aarune says and clicks his tongue, getting the Oddish's attention almost immediately.

"Good! Now try to convince it to come closer."

"How can I do that?" Yoel asks as he looks at Oddish, trying not to stare for too long.

"Try tapping the ground in front of you." Aarune suggests calmly.

Yoel gently taps the ground and Oddish takes a couple of steps towards him, although in a somewhat hesitant way. At least it's something!

"Now hold out your hand." Aarune indicates again.

The boy follows his instruction and holds his hand out to the wild Oddish, who slowly approaches Yoel. We all watch as the tiny grass type decides to start walking around our classmate, who seems to be both delighted and surprised.

"Nice, you did it!" Aarune looks towards Yoel's direction and nods approvingly. Now he turns to talk to us. "See? This is how you earn a wild pokémon's trust! I forgot to say it before, but I want y'all to write down on your notebooks what you will see today and then you will have to show it to me tomorrow. That will help to raise your grades!" I hear some of my classmates grumbling now that we have homework to do. "Now that you know how to approach a wild pokémon, it's time for the next lesson! That is, planting berries! Please, follow me."

We all start walking behind him, except Yoel, who hesitates a bit since the small Oddish is still by his side. "I'm sorry but I must go now… You should go back to your family or something, I'm sure that they are looking for you!" After saying goodbye to the pokémon, he comes and join us. Out of curiosity, I turn my head to look at Oddish. He stares at us for a bit and then leaves.

Now it's time for a different lesson. Learning to plant berries will be lots of fun, my parents always liked to harvest plants and when I was little I often helped them. Also, during my journey I collected lots of berries, but I never planted any...

"Let's stop now, this place will be perfect! There's plenty of planting spots." Aarune announces as we all proceed to gather around him. "Please, open your bags. Here you should find a small shovel and a little bag of seeds as well as a few other things. I want you guys to get the shovel and the seeds."

We do as he says and Aarune gets ready to start explaining once again, getting from his own bag the same stuff. "Now please come closer and observe."

I try to get as close as possible so I can take a good look. I remember I always liked to watch my parents planting seeds. I also remember that they always explained to me what kind of seeds they were planting. It was so much fun!

"Planting berries is very easy, so this lesson won't be too long. First of all, you must make sure you are digging a deep hole, the seeds should be buried in a cavity that's at least twice their size." Aarune explains as he starts digging with the shovel. Now he grabs a small handful of berry seeds from the little bag near him. "Now you just throw the seeds to the ground, making sure they fall into the holes!"

"And that's all?" Two people in the far left ask.

"Nope! There's something very important left: watering the ground! You should never allow the soil to get dry. Luckily, this route is quite rainy and that won't be a problem, but in other routes you guys will have to make sure you water the berry trees often."

Aarune grabs his bag and gets a medium sized watering can out of it. I wonder how he managed to fit them inside the bags… Although that's not important now. Aarune tilts the watering can until the water starts to come out. The soil progressively changes its color, becoming a dark brown hue as the ground gets soaked.

"All right, then! Since these are Oran berry seeds, they should be already grown up in a week or so. Now it's your turn, guys. Make groups of four, each group will work on a patch of ground. You know, the more seeds the better!"

I start looking around to see who I could group with, although I don't have to worry too much about it. Soon, I have Vicky by my side.

"Do you want to be on my group?" She asks with a smile.

"Of course! Who else is on the group?"

"Yoel and Valerie." Well, if Yoel is there, he can either make us laugh or mess everything up. Although I don't think it happens, because Valerie is a very serious person.

I immediately approach a free patch of ground, I think I'm too excited to wait for the others! I get the necessary tools out of the bags as the others arrive and proceed to do the same.

"Yoel, try not to make one of your jokes, alright? I don't even want to think of getting my grades dropped because of you." Yes, that's Valerie. She's always like this, more or less.

"No worries, madame." Yoel answers jokingly, which causes Valerie to glare at him, but he doesn't he realize since he is now busy digging holes on the ground.

And now I start to do the same. The ground in this part is a bit hard, but fortunately I manage to start digging a small hole. I have no idea which kind of seeds are these, probably they are Oran berry seeds, just like the ones Aarune planted. Anyway, I hope these plants grow up well!

I think the holes are deep enough now. Finally, I can start dropping the seeds, which my partners are doing already. Some get lost into the holes while others fall in the flat ground, so I push them into a few different holes. I don't remember my parents telling me if planting several seeds in the same space is bad or not. I guess time will tell!

I see the group next to us is already finished. Ours is almost done too, we only have to water the seeds and that's exactly what I'm going to do now. I have to say that my group has been surprisingly quiet, I say surprisingly because Yoel is on it. But of course, Valerie doesn't want to be bothered and nobody wants to make her upset.

Going back to the main subject, the soil already looks most enough. I put the watering can and the other stuff back in the bag and I get up almost at the same time that my partners, who are done too. Soon we will start with today's last lesson, which is a pity because I'm having quite a lot of fun today!

"Is everybody done?" Aarune questions as he walks around, observing the different patches of ground. A couple of groups finished just now. "Okay… Now everybody come here!"

After everybody picks up their bags, we gather around Aarune once more. This time he looks really excited. "Today's class is coming to an end! But before we leave, there's something left to do. There's yet another lesson, now you'll learn to… BUILD SECRET BASES!" Wow, Aarune is really passionate about this subject!

"And you said that we mustn't scream near wild pokémon..." Yoel remarks while raising an eyebrow.

"But this is different! We are talking about secret bases! Secret bases are awesome! And the best part is that they are super easy to build! Follow me and you'll see how it's done!" And after these words, Aarune starts strutting away. He is clearly way more excited about this than any of us can be!

"But… How is this important?" This question makes Aarune stop all of sudden.

"Excuse me? You ask how is this important? This is VERY important! As rangers you'll need a place to chill and shelter. What's more, I think that once you guys start working as rangers, the first thing you should do is get a secret base!" And he starts walking again. The boy who made the question doesn't even know which face he should make.

Anyway, having your own secret base sounds like fun! Although I don't think it's something to be so hype about, but to each their own, I guess.

We are walking through that really tall grass again. I hope I don't have any trouble walking through this kind of terrain when I become a ranger. Anyway I'm pretty sure we will be trained on this, I doubt this is the last time we have a class outdoors!

Suddenly, something interrupts my train of thought: it's Aarune, who is clapping to get our attention. "Alright guys, this is the perfect spot!" Aarune points towards a tree in front of us. It's not too tall and there's a vine hanging from it, so accessing it shouldn't be too hard. "Now you will see how to make an entrance for a secret base. Step back and pay attention!"

Aarune grabs a pokéball from his pocket and throws it, releasing a Flygon. The dragon type looks really strong and very well cared for. Is he going to blow a hole in the tree with a dragon breath or something?

"Now Flygon, use secret power!" Flygon's body glows green and he lunges at the tree's top, making a hole due to the impact. "Thanks buddy! Now, return!" After withdrawing his pokémon, Aarune turns around to speak to us. "And that's the first step! Now it's time we climb inside so we can see how the layout looks like." As soon as he's done talking, Aarune climbs the vine with surprising agility. "Awwww yeah, I was right! This place is perfect. Now it's your turn, guys!" His voice seems to reverberate a bit.

Apparently, nobody feels like climbing today. I don't mind having to climb up a tree, although I don't want to go first. It's not that I'm worried about it being risky, we will go through more dangerous things once we graduate anyway.

"Fine, I'll do the honors." A boy says as he walks towards the tree.

He hesitates a bit and takes a deep breath. Now he grabs the vine and starts going up the tree. Since it's not too tall, he reaches the top of the tree in no time. Now suddenly everyone wants to climb it. It's not such a big deal after all!

I get ready to go up the tree. There's a few classmates waiting for me to reach the top, I hope they aren't too impatient! I grab the vine, it looks pretty resistant. But again, there's nothing to worry about since the tree is not that tall. I climb as fast as I can and in no time I'm able to reach the entrance with my hand. Only one last effort and I'm already in front of the entrance.

As I enter, I finally see how the base looks inside: the walls are rocky and lined with moss. The floor is a mixture of wood and soil, a few splinters can be seen here and there. Overall, the place looks really cozy. I'm totally going to get a secret base of my own as soon as I become a ranger!

"Is everybody here now?" Aarune asks after clearing his throat.

"Yes, everybody is here." Yoel announces as he enters the room.

"Perfect! Now I can finally start!" Again, Aarune is really excited. "You might think I already said everything about secret bases, but you're wrong! I hope you all remember what my Flygon did a few minutes ago, because that's the key to getting your very own secret base!"

"Then with that move you automatically get a secret base?" Vicky asks while eyeing the left corner of the roof, where a spider web is hanging.

"Bingo! That move is called secret power and it's crucial to getting a secret base. It's a technical machine and each one of you will get it once you graduate. That should be an incentive for you to do your best during the course so you can graduate!" Everybody is silent. Is there something exciting about getting a technical machine? Well, it depends of what kind of move is. "Anyway, I want to announce something: from now on, this will be the group's base. Whenever we have a field study day just like today we will meet here before starting. How does that sound?"

"Good, I guess…" Someone murmurs without enthusiasm.

"Another thing I'd like to point out, there's lots of different places where you can build a secret base. They come in all shapes and sizes. That just adds to the awesomeness of secret bases! As rangers, you will want to find one that's big enough for yourselves and your pokémon, as well as whatever you want to bring in."

"So could I bring in a giant TV if I wanted to?" Yoel asks while opening his arms, probably to indicate how big that TV would be.

"Unfortunately for you, there's no electricity on secret bases… Unless you own an electric type pokémon!" Aarune tries to imitate a Pikachu, but his impression doesn't turn out well, so basically now we are trying not to laugh. "Alright… That was all." He continues as if nothing happened. "Today's class is over! I hope y'all had fun and learned something. Ah, and remember the homework!"

As soon as he's done talking, everybody leaves in the blink of an eye, but not without saying goodbye first. I don't hesitate to do the same, I say goodbye to Aarune and my remaining classmates and I grab the vine, getting ready to reach the ground. For some reason, I feel like descending the tree is somewhat easier than climbing it.

I get Hershey's pokéball out of my pocket and I throw it, making him come out.

"Hershey, it's time to go home!" He chirps and spreads his wings, meaning he's ready to go as well.

I get on Hershey's back and as soon as I'm settled, he takes off. Soon we rise above the trees of Route 119 as we make our way home. Today's class has been the best so far, I knew that I wouldn't be disappointed with the experience! I even got to see a pokémon I have never seen before. I wish Yoel didn't scare him away, maybe then we could have taken a better look at the creature. Luckily there will be more chances in the future since these field work days will happen regularly.

Anyway, the most important thing is that I'm happy with what I'm doing, although I just attended the school for a week I already feel that I made the right choice. Steven was right, this is definitely my thing! Not that I didn't enjoy my journey as a trainer, but now I feel that there's nothing better than thinking that in the future you will be helping others.

And now that I think about it, maybe I should do something to mark this new stage of my life, but I have no idea of what to do right now… Maybe I will think of something as soon as I get home and by the way, we are not too far away. We are flying over Mauville City now.

Speaking of flying, I have never been on a plane. I know it sounds random, but I never traveled outside the Hoenn region. Although I don't think that traveling on a plane is too different from riding on the back of a pokémon, which now I do almost everyday.

We finally arrived Oldale Town! The journey felt short, but I don't mind because now I will be able to rest, although I have to keep the homework in mind.

Like everyday, I tell Hershey to land near home. A few people is outside enjoying the fresh air. I must say that even if it's a smaller place, Oldale Town can be as good as Fortree City. As soon as we reach the ground, I get off of Hershey and I thank him for the ride before returning him to his pokéball. Now I walk towards my house and I open the door.

"I'm home!" I greet as I close the door behind me. My dad is sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper.

"Did the class go well?" Dad asks as he looks away from the newspaper.

"Yes, it went really well. We even saw a strange pokémon!"

"Well now that's interesting!" He answers as he puts down the newspaper.

"By the way, where's mom?" I ask as I look around.

"She is on the garden watering the plants. I'll go tell her that you are home."

"Okay, I will be on my bedroom changing my clothes." I answer as I head to my bedroom.

I open the door and I throw the bag with the gardening tools to the bed. What a relief, it's actually really heavy! I open one of the drawers of my dresser and I get out of it my usual clothes, but I see something else that gets my attention; it's a pair of scissors. Now I got an idea.

Maybe I'm being too impulsive, but I said that I wanted to make a change to mark this new chapter of my life and this is it, I'm cutting my hair! I let it down to see where it ends. It's pretty long, it's at my elbow's height. I think cutting it at shoulder length will do. I just noticed that my bangs are longer now, but I like them this way.

I'm a bit nervous because I never cut my own hair, my mom is the one who always does. But this time is different, I feel the need to do it by myself. I approach the mirror and shyly, I start trimming the tips as the hair starts falling to the floor. I could stop at this point if I wanted to, but there's no turning back now! I cut my hair a bit more as I gain confidence, it doesn't look like I'm doing a bad job.

For some reason I don't want to get caught although I'm not doing anything wrong. Maybe it's because I'm doing this without telling anyone? Anyway, they will find out as soon as I step out of the room. Maybe I just don't want them to see it until I'm done.

It won't be long until I'm done either way. A few snips more and I will be finished. I don't want to sound conceited, but I really like how this is turning out, I think it looks really good on me! It feels very comfortable too, maybe this is not a mistake after all!

A final snip and it's over; now I can really say there's no turning back. I'm really satisfied with the result although there's a downside… Now I have to deal with the mess I made! There's lots of hair at my feet, I must go get a broom right now!

I put the scissors down and I turn around… But just now the door opens. It's my mom. She's really surprised, her eyes are wide open and it looks like she doesn't know what to say. What if she doesn't like it?

"Wow… Am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing?" These are her first words. I don't know how to interpret that…

"Huh… What do you think about it?" I ask in a low voice.

Mom stares at me and then at the floor, observing the fallen hair. Now she smiles. "I think you did pretty well for your first time cutting your hair by yourself!" What a relief!

"You think so?" I question with a big smile.

"Yes! But anyway, let me check the ends of your hair. You know, maybe they need to be evened out." Mom says as she walks towards me. I hand her the scissors since she will surely need them and I turn around to let her have a better look at my hair.

Yes, it looks like I made a good choice after all!


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50: Breeze Pt.1**

The day at the ranger school has been pretty calm compared to yesterday. We all did our homework and Aarune was pretty happy about it. Also, he confirmed that every Thursday the class will take place on Route 119; he says that we must get used to work outdoors. I think I already know which my new favorite day of the week is!

It's Friday and it doesn't look like there's any interesting plan for the weekend. I got home a few moments ago and I'm changing my clothes while my parents are making lunch. As soon as I'm done I will go help them and possibly propose them to do something this weekend.

I put my white t-shirt on and I grab my green jacket, which I immediately let go as a sudden noise startles me. It turns out to be my phone, somebody is calling me. I quickly grab it hoping the person at the other side doesn't hang the telephone, although I don't even know who is calling. But it doesn't take long until I find out who it is… It's Steven!

Suddenly I feel all dizzy and I have to sit down on my bed, I still can't get over this feeling. Although we keep in touch by messaging each other, I miss seeing him face to face. We haven't seen each other since that day… Only a few weeks have gone by, but when I think about it, it feels like it's been years since I last saw Steven. But his duties as a champion keep him busy and that's something I try to deal with.

I don't want to make him wait any longer, so I answer the call.

"Hello?" I ask with a smile. I don't care if he can't see me; I can't help but smile every time I talk to him.

"Hello dear! How have you been today?" Steven sounds happy. I wonder what's on his mind…

"I've been fine, the day at the ranger school has been pretty good and I got home not too long ago. What about you?"

"I'm good!" He pauses suddenly. Maybe he doesn't know what else to say… "Emily, can I ask you something?"

"Sure!" I answer as my heart starts beating faster.

"It turns out that I'm free today and… I was wondering if you would like to come to Slateport with me."

Did he just propose me to go out for a date? Our first date? I think my answer is more than obvious!

"I would love to go there with you." Again, I answer with a big smile.

"Great! What time shall I pick you up?"

"At seven o'clock, if that's fine for you, of course." If he drops by at that hour, then I will have plenty of time to get ready.

"Yes, it's fine." He makes a little pause again. "I'm glad we can spend this afternoon together."

"Me too! I was hoping to see you again soon." I say softly as I get up from bed.

"It's the same for me. I hope time goes by fast so we can be together soon." His words make my heart go crazy!

I hear my mom calling me, lunch is ready. I wish I didn't have to hang up, but at least we are seeing each other later and that's even better than talking through the phone. "I'm sorry but I have to go now. Lunch is ready and my parents are calling me."

"That's alright, you have to eat. Also… Do you think they will mind us going out together?"

"They won't, trust me." Right now I realize that, if he is going to pick me up, he will probably see my parents. Honestly, I don't mind that. "And I'm pretty sure they will love to meet you!"

"Do you really think that your parents are ready to meet me?" Now he sounds somewhat nervous.

"Of course! My parents know about our relationship and they are happy about it. Besides that, they are really good people, you shouldn't be afraid to meet them." I hope this makes him feel calmer.

"If you say so then it must be true, since you are the one who knows them better." It looks like I did it! "Either way, I'm looking forward to see you."

"Me too. It feels like we didn't see each other in a long time although only a few weeks went by since the last time. Don't you feel the same?"

"Yes, I do. I couldn't wait to have a day off so we could be together." Hearing him say that makes me feel all warm inside.

My parents call me again; they say the food is getting cold. I think I should hang up now.

"Steven, I have to hang up, apparently the food is cooling down."

"I see… Then you should go now. I will see you later, darling." Is it normal that I still can't get over how he makes me feel when he says that kind of things?

"See you later, dear." Although I hesitate a bit, I hang up. Now it's time to have lunch and of course, tell my parents everything.

I put on my green jacket and I get out of the bedroom. I walk towards the kitchen and I see my parents sitting at the table, although they haven't started to eat yet. There's three bowls of soup placed on the table. I sit down and I grab my spoon, but my mother clears her throat. It looks like she wants to say something.

"I don't want to be nosy but… What took you so long?" I knew she would say that!

"I got a call." I say as I stir the soup while looking at my parents. I don't think I have anything to worry about.

"Who called you? Was it important?" My father asks with curiosity.

"Yes, it was…" I smile before continuing. "Steven called me; he wants to see me this afternoon!"

Instantly, a somewhat mischievous smile appears on my parent's face.

"Wow! Where will you guys go?!" Mom asks with her eyes wide open.

"We are going to Slateport City."

"Will you go by yourself to Slateport or will he pick you up?" Dad asks while leaving his spoon down.

"Steven said that he will come here to pick me up at seven o'clock." I wait for their reactions… Although I really don't have to, because they react immediately.

"YOU MEAN HE WILL COME HERE AND WE WILL SEE HIM?" My dad is really really excited!

"We are going to meet our son-in-law today?!" Mom is a bit calmer, but she is pretty enthused as well.

"Yes! You will get to see Steven today." I smile at them, a bit amused with their reactions. To me, it's understandable that they answer this way. And besides that, it's their way of being!

"That's amazing! You said he will come at seven o'clock, right?" Dad asks with his excitement already a bit more toned down.

"Yes!"

"Okay, then we have more than enough time to tidy up the house. Right, Greg?" Mom looks out of the corner of her eye at dad as she speaks.

"Yes, we don't want him to come across the mess we have right now!"

Actually the house is fine, but I guess my parents want to make sure everything looks perfect. I would say that they are more nervous than I am!

"Then we should start eating already so we all have time to do our things. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that the soup is already colder than a Glalie!" Mom exclaims before taking a spoonful of soup. Judging her expression, the soup is indeed cold.

Finally, we start to eat once and for all.

biAround six hours later/i/b

It's almost time. In a bit less than forty minutes, Steven will be here. I spent the last hours helping my parents to clean the house, although there wasn't really too much to do and of course, dolling myself up.

After a good while trying to decide and with my mother's help, I picked up a really pretty knee length dress I bought quite a long time ago, maybe I just wore it one or two times. The top is black and the skirt is teal colored.

I decided not to wear any makeup, I don't like that, I prefer to be natural. And I didn't do anything special to my hair either besides washing it, now that it's shorter I'm going to let my hair down very often.

All I have to do now is putting my shoes on, a pair of flats that match with the skirt's color. I put them on hoping they aren't too tight. Fortunately, they fit just fine! I don't want to be uncomfortable while I'm out, especially if I'm with Steven.

By the way, not long ago he sent me a message where he told me to bring my pokémon since he would do the same. I'm pretty sure Cloudia will be very happy to see Steven's Skarmory! It looks like after all, it's true that pokémon can be similar to their trainers. However, I will leave Alyx and Cataegis under my parent's care, just in case somebody with bad intentions spots them while they are with us.

Now that I'm done getting dressed I put into a bag my mom lent me for tonight the pokéballs and my purse. I leave my phone out just in case I receive a message. After doing that, I head to the living room. I don't have anything else to do but wait. I sit down with my parents, who are watching a movie. I hope the movie helps me to feel that time goes by faster, because that's all I want now.

"You look so pretty, Emily!" Mom compliments after turning to look at me.

"Yes, I'm sure Steven will be blown away when he sees you!" Dad also gives his two cents.

"Thank you! I hope so…" Almost without realizing, I answered them both at the same time.

I look at the clock hanging on the wall and it's almost half past six. I start to feel a bit anxious; I wish it was seven o'clock already! Although I should keep in mind that Steven might arrive a bit later, this kind of things always happens. I will try to enjoy the movie in the meantime.

In the movie there's a man traveling across space. He is inside a starship and a Clefairy accompanies him. They are trying to communicate with the Earth by using luminous signals. Now that I'm paying attention to it, the movie looks pretty good. This will surely help me to distract and stop paying attention to the clock… Although I hope I don't get too distracted!

My parents are pretty absorbed into the movie right now. I bet they feel impatient too since they are pretty eager to see Steven. They are going to meet him for the first time, after all! I understand their excitement. And I'm pretty sure they understand mine as well. Earlier, as I helped them to tidy up the house, I couldn't stop talking about how much I wanted to see him. My parents smiled every time I mentioned it.

I take a quick glance at the clock and seven minutes have gone by. At least that's something! Again, I look back at the screen but right now the doorbell rings. I bet it's a street vendor.

"Way to interrupt the movie!" Mom complains as the doorbell rings once again. "Fine, I'll get it!" She gets up and walks towards the door.

Suddenly I remember something: I left my phone on the bedroom! I tell my dad that I must go to my bedroom for a moment and he murmurs something about being left alone. I hope I didn't get an important message during this time!

I turn the lights on and I grab my phone. It turns out I do have a message… And it's from Steven. He says he is going to come earlier than he expected! What if the person who rang the doorbell is…?

"Emily, someone is asking about you!" My mom emphasizes that "someone". Now I'm almost sure that it is exactly who I think it is.

I check my reflection on the mirror before exiting the bedroom. As soon as I'm out of it, I walk directly towards the living room and then towards the door. As I thought, the one waiting for me is Steven. He is wearing his usual suit and he is holding a bouquet of white flowers. I look into his eyes and I can tell that he has been waiting for this moment as much as I did.

"White camellias… For you." Steven says as he hands the bouquet over to me.

"Th-thank you." I stutter as I hold the flowers. I really want to kiss him right now but I feel like I shouldn't do that in front of my mother, who is still standing next to the door. "I'm going to my bedroom to put the flowers in a vase with water, be right back!" I say to no one in particular before heading to my bedroom.

"Is he already there?" My father asks as I walk past him.

"Yes." As soon as I answer, I can hear the TV turning off.

Quickly, I enter the room and I carefully leave the flowers on my bed. Soon I spot an empty glass vase on top of my drawer. I grab it and I go to the bathroom walking at a fast pace. I don't want to make Steven wait for too much, although I want him to have some time to talk to my parents.

Speaking of that, I can overhear some of the things they say.

"You helped her a lot during her journey, right?" My mom asks in a voice that shows contained excitement.

"Yes! Whenever I had the chance to be by her side I did everything I could to make her feel better." It looks like Steven feels comfortable talking to my parents. I hope they do get along well!

Now that the vase has enough water, I take it back to my bedroom. I place it on the drawer and I put the bouquet on it. Now that there are flowers on the vase, the bedroom suddenly looks different to me. Maybe it's because of who gave the flowers to me…

I think it's finally time to leave. I put my phone into the bag and I carry it on my shoulder. As I exit my bedroom and I close the door, I can hear my dad saying something.

"We are glad our daughter found someone like you."

"Thank you… I'm glad I found someone like her as well." I feel all dizzy after hearing Steven say that.

Sadly, I have to cut their conversation now.

"I'm ready to go!" I announce as I reach the living room.

My parents smile and Steven gets up from the couch.

"It has been a pleasure meeting the both of you; I'm looking forward for the next time." Steven says to my parents very politely before approaching me.

"It's the same for us!" My parents exclaim at the same time with a big smile. "Now have fun and be careful out there, you two!" Dad says enthusiastically.

"If any of you has problems call me!" Mom chirps in a happy tone.

"Don't worry, we will!" I assure as I follow Steven to the door.

Once we are there, Steven opens the door and waits for me to go out first. I say goodbye to my parents as he does the same and now we exit the house. We are finally alone, the both of us! It's been so long… I smile at Steven as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. I return the gesture by wrapping my arm around his waist. Having him that close feels really good.

We walk towards Route 103. I'm guessing we will go to Slateport City from here, riding on his Skarmory's back. Although I wouldn't complain if we walked all the way to Slateport like this. As long as we are together, it's fine.

"Skarmory will take us to Slateport City." Steven says as if he read my thoughts.

"That's good! Then we will get there in no time and we will have more time to spend together." I answer happily as I notice how the sun has set almost completely. That makes everything even more romantic.

We just reached Route 103 and we stop walking. I guess Steven is going to get his Skarmory's pokéball… But I'm wrong. He pulls me closer to him and kisses my lips. I put my arms around his neck as I close my eyes, letting myself get carried by the emotions and the sensations that I'm feeling.

He separates a bit from me. "I don't think you can imagine how much I wanted to do this." Steven whispers before pressing his lips against mine again. I don't think he can't imagine either how much I wanted to have him near.

We break the kiss and he strokes my cheek. The way he is looking at me is making me want to melt. "You look so beautiful, that haircut looks really good on you."

"Thank you! I'm glad that you like it." I can't help but blush at his compliment. "You look really good too."

"Thank you, my love." He kisses me again, but this time is a short kiss. Now Steven grabs a pokéball out of his pocket. "We should get going, I made a reservation on a restaurant and we will go there first."

"A restaurant? That sounds like a good plan! Is that why you came earlier?"

"Yes, they ended up giving me the hour of somebody who cancelled his reservation."

"That's good… I guess." I wonder why that person had to cancel his reservation, although that's nothing of my business. The important thing is that today I get to spend the afternoon with Steven.

Finally he releases Skarmory from his pokéball. It looks like the metallic bird pokémon has recognized me instantly and now he approaches me.

"Hi!" I say softly as I pet his head. "Maybe he actually wants to see Cloudia." I giggle addressing to Steven.

"That could be the case! Luckily for him, there will be time for that later. But now it's time to go." Steven gets on Skarmory's back. "Do you need help?"

"No, it's fine." I answer before getting on Skarmory's back myself. As soon as I'm there, I wrap my arms around his waist. I'm glad that now I can hold him as close as I want without fear of causing an awkward situation.

"Skarmory, it's time to take off!" Obeying his trainer, Skarmory takes flight.

Almost as soon as we start flying, the gentle breeze surrounds us. It's a really good sensation, specially adding to it the warmth of Steven's body. I hold him tight and I whisper into his ear. "I love you"

Steven turns his head back. "I love you too, Emily."

I kiss his cheek as a response before he looks ahead again. This is probably one of my best journeys on the back of a flying pokémon, since this time I'm not alone and the man with me is one of the most important persons in my life.

Now the sun has set completely, but the visibility is still pretty good. Anyway, we are already close to Slateport City. I can't wait to see what kind of restaurant we are going to. I think it might be a fancy one… But anyway, that's not the most important. As long as there's food I like, I don't mind what kind of restaurant it is! Also, I'm in good company.

I can already see Slateport City. Seen from above, it looks really pretty at night, but I'm pretty sure it will be even prettier once we are on it. There are lots of lights where the market is. I don't remember being at Slateport's market at night, I'm sure that all the times I've been there it was daytime.

And this makes me remember the time I had a terrible anxiety attack due to my damn brontophobia. I was lucky that Steven was around and he bothered to come and help me. Although not all the events of that day were bad; besides Steven saving me, that day I got Venus and I rescued her from an awful person.

"We are already there." Steven's voice interrupts my train of thought.

Funnily enough, Skarmory landed near the market. We get off of the bird pokémon and Steven thanks him for bringing us there before withdrawing him into his pokéball. Now Steven puts the device back into his pocket.

"The restaurant is this way, let's go." He gently holds my hand and we start walking.

Having him hold my hand feels really good. It's so warm and soft… I hope the way to the restaurant is not too short because I don't want him to let my hand go in a little while. I remember the times where this was unthinkable. However, now we are together.

"Slateport is such a beautiful place, isn't it?" Steven asks as we keep walking.

"Yes, it's probably one of my favorite places in Hoenn." I answer keeping in mind all the things that I experienced here, the good and the bad.

"Mine too. I always enjoy coming here whenever I can. For example, if there's a contest and I'm free, I like to go and watch it with Wallace."

"Am I allowed to come with you two the next time?" I ask jokingly.

"Of course!" Steven laughs. "That reminds me, I have something for you." We stop and he takes two tickets out of his pocket. "I bought those last month, tickets for a contest that takes place tomorrow in this city's contest hall. But I didn't keep in mind that I would probably be busy and indeed, tomorrow I must fulfill my duties as a champion, so I thought I could give them to you."

I take the tickets and I take a look at them. "Do you know if Lisia is going to participate in this contest?"

"Yes, are you going to bring along a big fan of Lisia?"

"Yes, I sure will!" I answer as I start to plot things on my mind.

I put the two tickets in my bag and we resume or walk towards the restaurant, again walking hand in hand. I don't know how much more time it will take to reach the place, although I enjoy walking with Steven, I also want to arrive to the restaurant already because I'm starting to feel hungry. I guess you could say I'm having mixed feelings.

And the fact that I can hear a man who says that he's selling some sweets which are typical from Kalos doesn't help. Now I wonder what kind of dessert they serve on that restaurant. I hope we find out soon...

"Here it is!" Steven announces as we stop walking. We are finally there!

The place looks pretty fancy in the outside and as Steven opens the door and we walk inside, I can confirm it's the same on the inside. It's not like those super extravagant restaurants you can see on films and such, but it is way more elegant than any other eatery I've been to. Although the most important is the food they serve, I hope I don't get disappointed in this aspect!

A waiter approaches us.

"Hello and welcome to Red Clauncher. How can I help you?" He asks politely.

"Hello, I have a reservation at a quarter past seven." Steven answers in an equal tone.

"You must be Steven. You asked for a table for two, right?" Steven nods in response. "Alright mister, your table is ready. Follow me."

We follow the waiter, who takes us towards a small set of stairs. Next to them there's a sign with the word "Reserved area". I guess we are going to eat alone, only the two of us… And I like that. Although eating in the regular area wouldn't have bothered me, the idea of being alone with Steven sounds much better.

The waiter stops in front of a door and gets a key out of a pocket on his vest.

"It's here." He says just in case we didn't realize. The man finally opens the door. "You may enter. Soon I will come with the menu."

Once the waiter leaves, we enter the room and Steven closes the door behind him. The area looks really cozy; the walls are painted in coral red and there's several paintings hanging from it. In the middle of the room, there's a round table with two chairs on opposite sides. There's also a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the area with a warm light.

Suddenly, Steven hugs me from behind. I was so absorbed into staring at the decoration of the room that the sudden hug has startled me a bit.

"Are you alright?" He asks me a bit concerned.

I turn around to face him. "Yes, it's just that I didn't see that hug coming."

All I get as an answer is a kiss on my lips. I think that's the best answer I ever got from someone.

"Do you want to sit down?" Steven asks while holding my hand.

"Yes." I answer with a smile.

He leads me to the table and pulls the chair away from it, allowing me to sit down. Now he pushes the chair closer to the table and goes to sit down in front of me.

"Thank you." I say smiling yet again because of his gesture.

"You're most welcome, my dear." Steven smiles back at me.

I notice Steven has his hands on the table. Without hesitating, I reach for them and I hold his hands in mine. He smiles again but suddenly, he lets go my left hand. I look into his eyes trying to find out why he did that but before I can react he holds my hand again and kisses it.

I want to say something, but the waiter opens the door. As he promised, this time he brings the menu. In fact, he has two of them.

"Here you have the menus. I will wait until you have decided about your order." The waiter carefully leaves the two menus on the table and walks towards the door. Now he stands next to it as he waits for us to decide.

I start to look through the list. Reading the names of the dishes makes me even hungrier, not to mention the pictures that accompany some of the items on the list. It looks like I will have a hard time trying to choose!

"Is it fine if I order bread for the two of us as an appetizer? The bread here is really good and I would like you to try it." Steven says as he puts the menu aside for a moment.

"Of course! If you recommend it, it's for a reason." I answer taking my eyes off the menu as well. Steven smiles before continuing to look through the menu.

I do the same, trying to decide once and for all what to order. But now that I think about it, there's a deep-fried tofu dish that looks pretty good. Maybe this is the best time to try it out! It looks like choosing the first course hasn't been as hard as I thought!

I put the menu down and I observe Steven as he still tries to choose what to order. Maybe the waiter is willing to help him, because now he leaves his spot next to the door and walks towards us.

"Are you ready to order?" The attendant gets out from his pocket a small notepad and a pen, getting ready to write down our orders.

Steven stares at the menu a bit more before closing it. "Yes. I will have the Magikarp fillet."

"I would like the deep-fried tofu, please." I say as the waiter starts writing down the orders.

"What would you like to drink?" The waiter questions now.

"The best bottle of wine available, please." Steven responds calmly. Well, it looks like this will be my first time trying wine too!

"So that's one deep-fried tofu, one Magikarp fillet and one bottle of Pinot Noir. I will be back with the dessert list in a bit." The waiter picks up the menus and leaves.

And thanks to that, I'm alone with Steven again.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51: Breeze Pt.2**

"Can you believe that I never tasted wine?" I try to start a conversation.

"Well, there's a first time for everything." Steven replies.

"I'm looking forward to try it! I just hope we don't drink too much..." I murmur shyly. I have never been around a tipsy person and I haven't been on that state either.

"Don't worry; we will just have a bit of it. I would never want to make you uncomfortable." Steven assures as he holds my hands, just like he was doing not long ago. The few worries that I had disappear. "Do you have in mind what you want for dessert?" The subject changes slightly.

"I think will have some ice cream… If they serve it, that's it."

"Of course! I was thinking of ordering ice cream as well. It seems that great minds think alike." Steven finishes the sentence with a smile.

I can't resist it and I lean in for a kiss. Steven reciprocates the gesture and I can feel that he holds my hands a bit tighter. I wouldn't mind staying like this for a little while.

Unfortunately, our kiss is interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The attendant is back with the dessert list and again, he brings one for each of us. I observe how the waiter leaves them in the table and almost immediately after he drops them, I grab one of the menus and I start eyeing the ice cream section. There's a lot to choose from!

For a start there are the classic flavors like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. But then there are a lot of ice cream flavors with exotic names such as birthday cake, black raspberry crunch, blue moon, cotton candy or egg nog. Which one will I choose? It's going to be complicated!

The waiter stands next to the table with his notepad on hand waiting for us to make a choice. He doesn't seem to be in a hurry, though.

I look at Steven wondering what he will order. Will he have a "regular" ice cream or will he prefer one of those sorbets with extravagant names? Steven seems to be choosing carefully; maybe he is as undecided as I am! I look back at the dessert list and I re-read the names of the ice creams. There are some pictures as well; the blue moon and the peach ones look really tempting…

"I think I will have the fudge ice cream." Steven has already decided.

I don't want to take much longer to make my choice; in fact, I have already decided what I want. "I'd like the peach ice cream." I say while closing the menu.

"So that's a fudge ice cream and a peach ice cream." The attendant writes down the order. "I will be back in a little bit with the bread. The main course will be ready in a while, so be patient." He picks up the dessert lists and leaves again…

...only to open the door right after he closed it. I see someone for a split second and now the waiter enters holding a small basket with several bread rolls. Steven must be right, they look really good!

"It turns out somebody was already bringing the bread rolls there so… Here they are. I will return with the drinks and the main dish as soon as possible." The waiter speaks as he leaves the basket on the middle of the table. Now he leaves and closes the door one more time.

We are finally left alone and this time it looks like the waiter won't be back soon. Anyway, since I'm with Steven, time will probably go by fast. I'm starting to think about the day we met, then I couldn't imagine that he would turn out to be so important to me. I thought that it would be the only time I would see him, but fortunately I was wrong.

"Do you remember the day we met?" I ask Steven out of the blue. Probably the question takes him by surprise.

"Of course I do. It was one of the most important days in my life." He answers with a gentle smile.

"Really? What happened that day?" I ask with curiosity.

"I met you, that's what happened."

His answer makes me smile. He holds my hands again and I realize that we have been holding hands almost the whole time we have been there, except during the moments the waiter was here. Maybe that's our way of showing each other how much we wanted to be together.

"I have a question although it might not have anything to do with what we were talking about." I say after some seconds of silence.

"It's alright, go ahead!"

"What was on the letter I gave you, if I can know?" That's something I wonder from time to time. I think now is a good moment to ask it.

"Oh, my father was warning me about Team Aqua. But I had no idea that you stumbled across them shortly before that." Steven suddenly looks a bit concerned.

"Yes. At first I thought they just were a little bunch of thugs but then… Well, I don't need to explain what happened then! I feel relieved that Team Aqua belongs to the past!"

"Yes, me too. But now that I think about it, if it wasn't for Team Aqua, we wouldn't have met." Steven points out smiling faintly.

"You are right! If it wasn't for that grunt, I wouldn't have retrieved the Devon pieces and if I didn't retrieve the pieces I wouldn't have met your father. And then if I hadn't met him, he wouldn't have given the letter to me… Which means that we wouldn't have met." Who knew my encounters with Team Aqua would bring something positive… Aside from Cataegis, that is!

"See? Everything is connected." Steven has a happy expression as he says it. "Maybe we should thank Team Aqua for getting on your way, after all!"

His last sentence makes me laugh and in no time, Steven is laughing too. Being able to spread laughter to others is great!

"Speaking of that, you told me some time ago that you like to travel, right?" I question willing to listen to everything he has to say.

"Right! I travelled through many regions. I've been to Kanto, Jotho, Sinnoh and Unova. I even lived in a villa in Sinnoh for a while." As Steven remembers his journeys through the world, his eyes light up. It's obvious he loves to talk about them!

"Well you sure like to travel!" My comment makes him smile and I end up doing the same, his smile is contagious. "Tell me something about Sinnoh. How is the region like?" I lean towards him a bit.

"It's a great place; Sinnoh is full of things to see. When I lived there I spent lots of time in Stark Mountain and Mount Coronet, I can say for sure that they are my favorite places in Sinnoh."

"Let me guess, is it because there are rare stones in these places?" I ask jokingly.

"How did you know?" Steven answers cocking an eyebrow.

We both end up laughing and gently pressing our foreheads together. Spending this afternoon with Steven makes me so happy… And seeing that he enjoys our time together makes me even happier.

I suddenly notice the bread rolls in the basket, it looks like we forgot they were here! I slowly separate from Steven and I take a quick glance at the bread.

"Shouldn't we taste the bread? Since you said it's so good, I want to try it!" I exclaim cheerfully.

"You are right; we were so absorbed in our conversation that we forgot about it! Although now that we are here, you are everything I can think of."

I answer him with a kiss. Suddenly Steven lets my hands go and now he cups my face as we kiss. I think I will never have enough of his kisses; they are gentle but passionate at the same time.

"I'm so into you…" I whisper as we break the kiss.

"I can say the same." Steven answers as he strokes my left cheek. I take advantage and I hold his free hand on mine.

We spend several second staring adoringly into each other's eyes, as if nothing else mattered. But suddenly I remember something: we forgot about the bread yet again!

"When are we going to start eating?" I ask with my face still close to his, knowing that I'm probably killing the mood.

"Oh, you are right dear, I forgot again!" He scratched his head nervously and for some reason the gesture makes me giggle.

I take one of the bread rolls and I bite off a chunk of it. Steven wasn't lying, it's so good! The bread is really soft, exactly how I like it, and it's still a bit warm. This bread is perfect!

"I can tell you really like it." Steven smiles.

"How did you know?" I answer smiling back.

"Because of your expression. I told you the bread here is very good!"

"You read me like an open book!" I say jokingly. Steven laughs a bit before taking another bite from the bread.

I keep eating the same bread roll; I want to savor it as much as possible. I didn't know a simple piece of bread could be so good! I don't remember tasting anything like this before aside from the sponge cakes my mom bakes sometimes. I wonder where the secret is…

Now that I think about it, one of the most noteworthy things from Kalos is its desserts. Maybe Steven can tell me something about them. Although he didn't mention being to Kalos, maybe he has tasted some Kalosian goods!

"Steven, did you ever try any dessert from Kalos?" I ask right after swallowing a small bite of bread.

"Hmm… No, but I would love to someday. In fact, Kalos is a region I really want to visit one of these days." He sounds a bit excited about it. There must be lots of caves he wants to see!

"Kalos looks like a nice place to visit. I would like to see the Lumiose Tower by myself and not just in a picture or a replica like the one in Mauville City." Now that I think about it, that's like having a piece of Kalos here, in Hoenn.

"I promise one day we will go there together, I think that visiting Kalos with good company would make the experience even more pleasant." Steven smiles after finishing the sentence.

"I definitely agree with that!" I answer with excitement.

Going to such a beautiful place with Steven sounds like an amazing plan. I hope one day we can go there, although right now that's a bit difficult since Steven has to take care of his duties as a Champion and I have to attend the Ranger school. I'm sure sooner or later we will find a way to travel to Kalos!

"There are so many places to see in the world! I wonder if I'll ever be able to visit all of the regions out there." Steven talks as he rests his chin on one hand, like if he was thinking deeply about it.

"I'm sure one day you will get to see many new places. Does your position as a Champion ever make you travel outside of Hoenn?"

"Well, every year there's a tournament in Unova where the gym leaders and champions from all the regions meet up and battle other strong trainers. It's always nice to attend and whenever I have free time, I like to explore the different landmarks there. It's like I discover something new every time I go there." His eyes light up again while talking about that event.

"Yeah, there's always something we overlook when visiting a place."

Almost at the same time I finish the sentence, the door opens. The waiter is here and this time he is bringing our dinner as well as the wine Steven ordered.

"We had a bit of trouble finding the wine and that's why I didn't bring it before. I hope that didn't cause any inconvenient." The waiter speaks as he places the wine and two wine glasses on the table. "I hope that everything it's of your liking. I will be back on a while to check if you finished with the dinner so I can bring the dessert." Now he puts our dishes in front of each one of us before leaving with his empty tray.

I take a quick look at the tofu: It looks tasty but I'm disappointed to see that the fillet is smaller than I thought. The Magikarp fillet that Steven asked for is also smaller than I imagined. Well, if after the main course we still feel hungry we have the dessert, so there's nothing to worry about.

"Shall we make a toast before starting to eat?" Steven asks as he holds the bottle of wine.

"Of course! This is a very special occasion, after all." I answer with a big smile, although a bit nervous at the thought of tasting wine for the first time.

Steven serves wine in both of the glasses, filling them until the liquid reaches the half of the glass. Now he puts the bottle down before holding his glass. I hold up the glass too.

"May we spend many more moments like this. Cheers!" He looks at my eyes while talking. I can see the sincerity in them.

"Cheers!" I answer as we make our glasses clink.

I take a sip of the wine and the flavor is a bit strong, but I can handle it. It's not as bad as I thought! "The wine is really good!" I exclaim after swallowing the first sip.

"Indeed, it's one of the best wines this restaurant has to offer!" Steven takes another sip after finishing the sentence.

I drink a bit more before giving the tofu a try. The smell is really tempting and it looks like something I won't regret ordering. I put the wine glass down and I grab a fork and a knife. I cut a small piece just in case I end up not liking it.

I put the tofu inside my mouth, expecting my own reaction. Fortunately, it's actually delicious! Now I know I made a right choice. It looks like I have a new favorite food aside from the Mauville Ramen Bowls!

Steven is also eating his Magikarp fillet now. I take a sip of wine before continuing to eat the tofu. This time I cut a bigger piece and just like with the bread, I chew it slowly so I can savor the food as much as possible. Now I understand why these kinds of restaurants have such a nice reputation!

"Are you enjoying the meal?" Steven cuts a piece of fillet as he awaits my answer.

"Yes, I sure am! What about you?" I ask before stuffing my mouth with another chunk of food.

"I'm enjoying it as well. I often order this whenever I come to this restaurant." Steven eats the piece of fish he cut before.

"I think this is my favorite restaurant now... Along with the Mauville Food Court, of course!" I answer after eating another piece of tofu.

"I guess nothing beats Mauville Ramen Bowls, right?" He asks with a funny expression.

His answer makes me laugh yet again. Right now I'm having such a good time! I think that if somebody told me a few months ago that I would be going on a date with Steven, I wouldn't have believed that person. But the truth is that here we are now, only the two of us, enjoying of each other's company. What else can I ask for?

I observe how Steven refills his wine glass. I didn't drink all the wine on my glass yet and although I liked it, I don't want to drink too much. After taking a couple of gulps, I finally finish with the content on the glass and I focus on my tofu fillet, although there's not too much left of it. I think I must have been cutting large pieces of it without realizing. I guess that's what happens when you are distracted while eating, although I don't mind the distraction I'm referring to.

I can see it's the same for Steven, he has a bit less than the half of his Magikarp fillet left. I guess that means we will be able to enjoy the dessert sooner!

All of sudden I realize something: during all the time we have known each other, he never mentioned his mother. That's really strange now that I think about it. I really want to ask Steven about her, but I don't know if that would be right… Although we are a couple now and that means we shouldn't hide things from each other. I take another bite of tofu before saying anything.

"Steven… Can I ask you a question?" Suddenly I speak in a low voice.

"Sure, go ahead." He answers after swallowing a bite of food.

"Sorry if the question bothers you but, I just realized that you never mentioned your mother. Is there any reason?" I ask again with a lower tone.

Steven doesn't seem bothered at all. "Oh, how could I forget to mention this before? She lives in Kalos due to things related to her job."

"So that's it! And what does she work as?" Now I'm even more curious than before!

"I actually don't want to say that yet, but you will find out when one of these days we visit Kalos. All I can say is that she is a really strong trainer." Steven sounds very proud as he talks about his mother.

"She sounds like an interesting person! Now I have yet another reason for wanting to visit Kalos."

"As soon as the circumstances allow it, we will go there. I promise it!" He seems to be looking forward to go to Kalos as much as I do! I answer with a smile.

Now we focus on our food as we try to finish it. There's not too much left and I'm sure he is as eager to eating the dessert as I am. And I'm also wondering where we are going to go after the restaurant. He mentioned that our first stop was the restaurant, so I'm pretty sure we are going somewhere else afterward. I'm curious about it!

And before I can realize, I'm done with my tofu fillet. I clean my lips with a napkin that I completely crumple up after using it. Then I serve myself enough wine to drink in a couple of sips, which I do right after putting the bottle down.

It looks like Steven is done with his Magikarp fillet as well.

"I guess now we just have to wait for the dessert." Steven says after cleaning himself with a napkin, just like I did before… Only that he doesn't crumple it up.

"Yeah, and I hope we don't have to wait too much, I really want to try that peach ice cream!" I exclaim as I discreetly look at the door out of the corner of my eye.

"Well, good things are worth waiting for, so I'm pretty sure this is the case."

And suddenly, as if he was summoned by our words, the waiter opens the door.

"Have you finished with the main course?" He approaches the table and after seeing that we are done with the food, he takes the two plates. "I'm going to bring the dessert right now, hold up."

The man disappears again through the door with a quick pace; he doesn't even close the door. I take a look at Steven, who seems to be distracted by something; maybe he is lost in his own thoughts. Probably he is thinking about his commitments as a Champion, our date or (most probably) rocks.

But, as he said, soon the waiter is back to the room and this time he is bringing our ice creams… Which look insanely good. I take a better look at them as the waiter puts each ice cream cup in front of us. Steven's ice cream is of a light brown color and has a few pieces of chocolate on top, while mine is some sort of orangish white color and has a couple of peach slices on it. The cups aren't too big, but I'm sure that we will have more than enough.

"One more time, I hope everything it's of your liking." After finishing the sentence, the attendant leaves and closes the door. Finally, now it's time for the dessert!

I take a spoonful of ice cream and I take it to my mouth. This tastes so good! It's almost like a dream, I never thought an ice cream could taste this way. I'm aware that I sound exaggerated, but I can't help it! This sorbet is surely one of the best I ever tasted.

"How's your ice cream?" Steven asks after a couple of spoonfuls of his ice cream.

"It's really good! I think I already know what I'm going to ask as a dessert every time we come here." I eat a mouthful of ice cream. "What about yours?" I ask after swallowing the sorbet.

"It tastes amazingly. Do you want a bit?" Steven says loading his spoon a bit.

"Sure! But only if you allow me to give you a little bit of my ice cream too." I smile without putting my spoon down.

"Of course I will allow you to." Steven smiles warmly as he approaches his spoon to my mouth.

The fudge ice cream is really good too! I think I might order it next time, although I know I just said that I will always order peach ice cream whenever we come here… Now it's my turn to give him a bit of my ice cream. I take a little spoonful and I approach it to him. Judging by his expression, it looks like he likes my ice cream too.

"No, but I tried most of them and so far I think they are pretty good." Steven answers loading his spoon again.

It looks like he really likes ice cream… That makes me smile even more. For some reason, I find that really cute.

We keep eating our ice creams. I eat a slice of peach along with some ice cream and the combination is just too good. At first I had thought about leaving the fruit for later, but now I will just eat the peach and the ice cream at the same time, it will be better this way!

It looks like Steven has the same idea as me; he is eating the chocolate along with the ice cream. Also, he is almost halfway his cup, isn't he going too fast? I don't want him to get a headache… Although to be honest I'm not being slow either. Maybe we will both get a headache from eating so quickly! But it's almost impossible not to do it; the ice cream is too good.

I've always wanted to know how it feels to go on a first date. I never said this but this is not only my first date with Steven; it's also the first time on my life I go on a date with someone. Luckily, I'm having the best first date possible because I'm with the best man possible. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure this is not the first time Steven goes out with someone. He looks like someone who already had some kind of experience with romance. Now I wonder if I look like someone who has never been in a relationship… I think it will be better if I stop thinking about that kind of things.

Suddenly I surprise myself upon realizing that I'm done with my ice cream. Was I really so lost in my thoughts? Yes, I was aware that I was eating, so it's not like I missed anything. As I can see, Steven is done with his dessert too. I guess it's time to leave, then!

We get up from our chairs and walk towards the door. Steven opens it. "Ladies first." He says in a courteous tone. I cross the door and Steven closes it behind me.

"Sorry if this makes me sound tight fisted but, who is going to pay for everything?" I ask as we walk towards the counter.

"Don't worry about that! I will pay for it." Steven responds as he gets his wallet out of one of the pockets on his jacket.

"Then the next time I will make sure I'm the one dealing with the bill!" I laugh a bit as we reach the counter. A young woman is behind it.

"Hi! How can I help you?" She asks kindly.

"Hello, we would like to pay for the menu." Steven answers to the woman.

"Of course! What did you order?" The attendant approaches a little computer to her right.

"A dish of deep-fried tofu, a Magikarp fillet, a bottle of Pinot Noir, a fudge ice cream and a peach ice cream."

The woman types everything down on the computer. After a quick look at the screen, she turns to look at us again. "That will be two thousand pokédollars, please."

Steven grabs a few bills from his wallet and hands them over to the attendant, who puts them into a cash register. Now it's time to see where we are going next…

"Have a good night!" The young lady says before returning to her job. We both thank her and say goodbye.

Almost immediately after walking out of the restaurant, I realize the night is a bit colder than before. Not enough where I would feel uncomfortable, but the change of temperature is more than evident. But now the temperature is the least of my concerns as Steven holds my hand again. How I missed feeling his hand on mine…

We begin to walk in silence, but I decide to break the quietness by asking the question that has been rounding my head for a little while.

"Where are we going next?"

Steven looks at me as we keep walking. "Now we are going to the beach, I thought it would be nice to take a little walk along it after having dinner. Sadly, it can't be too long because I have to go to bed early, tomorrow I have to be at the Pokémon League again. Sorry for not telling you before."

"It's alright; you have to do what you have to do. What matters the most is that we are together right now." I say although I can't help but feel a bit bad about him having to leave soon. But of course, I want him to rest well so he can perform adequately tomorrow on the Pokémon League.

Steven answers to my statement kissing my cheek, which makes my face burn slightly. Hopefully the beach's breeze will help with that, because we are almost there now. The walk to the seaside is short, since the restaurant is not too far from it. I see a small flock of Wingull gathering near the water, although they fly away as soon as a Poochyena and a little boy playing with said pokémon run close by.

There are actually not a lot of people on the beach. That means that we can walk calmly, only focusing on each other's company… As well as our pokémon.

"How about we send out our pokémon so they can enjoy too?" I ask as we start to walk along the shoreline.

"Yes, we should do that! That's why we brought their pokéballs, after all." Steven gets his pokéballs and throws them up in the air, releasing all of his pokémon. Yes, the same pokémon I had to face some time ago.

Now I do the same with my pokéballs, all of my pokémon come out and as soon as that happens, I can see how Cloudia is looking for someone in particular. Anyway, it's not long until she spots the one she was looking for: Steven's Skarmory. In a second, they fly towards each other and sing their hearts out. It's more than obvious that they are really happy to see each other again, just like Steven and I. Now that I see it, it could be said that they are having a date too! It's really cute when you think about it.

Aside of Cloudia and Skarmory, all of our other pokémon are also playing with each other. It looks like there are no hard feelings after the battles they had! It makes me happy to see that my pokémon get along with Steven, it's something very important to me.

After a little while observing them, I begin to walk along with Steven, this time holding his arm. Cloudia and Skarmory are flying together not too far from us and our other pokémon are walking behind us, stopping every once in awhile to keep playing with each other. I turn my head to see Berry splashing water at Cradily, who tries to return the gesture with her tentacles.

"How are Saturdays like at the Pokémon League?" I ask distractedly as I watch how Trevor runs past us.

"They are mostly like any other day, sometimes I get two or three challengers. You know, challengers are actually pretty rare. Not everybody can make it past the Elite Four." Well, he is right. The Elite Four can be very hard to beat!

"Don't you get bored standing in the middle of that big room waiting for trainers?" I ask imagining how that would be like.

"Sometimes I do get bored a little, yes. But that comes with the job, after all!" Steven's response denotes that he is already used to it.

"I think I never asked you but, how long have you been the Champion?" Almost as soon as I finish the question, I get startled by Hershey, who flies past me at a high speed.

"Oh, it's been almost four years since I became the Champion. I still remember how intense the battle against the Champion was… It was a very hard-fought battle… Just like ours."

The mention of that day makes me smile. Now I hold his arm a bit tighter. "Yes, it was a great battle… But the best part is what came after it." I say shyly as I look down at the sand, staring at our footprints.

"You are right about that. Out of all my memories as a Champion, that's probably the best, I don't care how many other important battles might come in the future, that one is by far the most special to me."

I make Steven stop so I can kiss him. I hug him tightly as I rest my head on his chest. "And that's probably the best memory from my journey, too. I'm so glad that I happened to run into you!"

Steven gently runs his fingers through my hair as we embrace each other. "Me too. You are one of the best things that happened to me."

I look at Steven, smiling at him. His words never fail to make me feel like I'm on cloud nine. But now it's moment to keep walking. We separate, although I keep holding his arm and we resume our walk along the shoreline. These moments I'm sharing with him right now will always be so precious to me… I never thought my first date could be so great!

Steven and I aren't the only ones having a good time; our pokémon are still playing tirelessly, especially Cloudia and Skarmory, who only have eyes for each other. It's obvious that Cloudia missed Skarmory as much as I missed Steven.

Now that I think about it, what if one day Cloudia had an egg? I have never seen with my own eyes a pokémon egg before; it would be interesting to get to take a close look at one. Probably someday at the Ranger School we will be instructed on the subject. I'm sure it will be fascinating!

But maybe not as fascinating as this walk is, the full moon is reflecting on the water creating an idyllic view.

"Hey Steven, ask me what's my favorite place in the world." Saying this suddenly comes to my mind.

"Okay… What's your favorite place in the world?" He asks playing along with me.

"This place, because we are here together!" I exclaim cheerfully.

"Emily, you can be really adorable." He answers in a somewhat serious tone.

"What do you mean that 'I can be' adorable? Do you mean most of the time I'm not adorable?" I question pretending to be angry; I'm actually amused by his response!

"I was just kidding! Why would I think you aren't cute?" Steven kisses my temple to reassert his statement. I return the gesture by kissing his cheek, to show him I'm actually not mad.

As we keep walking, the breeze seems to get a bit colder than before, but the temperature is still pleasing. The water is a bit closer to us and Steven is the one walking nearer the seashore, I hope he doesn't end up getting soaked! Although that would be a pretty interesting anecdote to tell our children someday…

Suddenly I hear Steven sigh. "Is there something wrong?" I ask without stopping walking.

"I… I should be going home. I will have to go to bed soon. I'm sorry." He sounds a bit despaired.

"I already said it before, it's fine! I would really, really like to spend more time with you, but your duties as a Champion are very important too and you have to rest well so you can give your all." I answer encouragingly.

"I'm glad you understand, Emily. I would like to spend so much more time with you tonight, but unfortunately, it's not possible."

We stop walking and we hug each other, without saying anything else. How I wish he didn't have to go to the Pokémon League tomorrow!

"I will take you home first." Steven says as he withdraws all of his pokémon but Skarmory.

I should be doing the same, but I feel sorry for having to separate Cloudia from Skarmory. I look at her and she seems to understand that it's time to go. Cloudia gives an affectionate peck to Skarmory, who returns her gesture just before I return all of my pokémon to their respective pokéballs. And now, it's time to go back home.

Steven gets on Skarmory's back and helps me up. I hold on tight to him just before he commands Skarmory to take flight, with Oldale Town being our destination. Now that we are flying through the night sky, I'm starting to feel a bit sleepy. Maybe the meal and that short but sweet walk have something to do with it. Maybe it's still a bit early to go to bed, but I think Steven might not be the only one who needs a good rest. Tomorrow it's going to be an intense day, after all. But not for me, but rather for some other person I know…

This evening has been already intense enough for me, but in a good way! I can't wait until the next time I can spend some time with Steven, it's a pity that our schedules don't coincide more! I lean on his back, drawing him a bit closer to me. I remember the first time I did this; it was as we were riding Latios's back. That's a day I will surely remember forever!

All of sudden, I feel we are losing altitude. Suddenly, I look around and it turns out we are already arriving Oldale Town! This time Skarmory went really fast… How is it possible that we are already there? I guess it might be a little late for Steven and that's why Skarmory rushed a bit and besides that, Skarmory is a really fast pokémon.

After a little bit, we land on Oldale Town, close to my home. Steven gets off of Skarmory's back and helps me down. I look into his eyes for a few seconds, without knowing what to say. It looks like he is also having trouble to find adequate words. I always heard that these situations tend to be a bit awkward.

"Well… I guess it's time to say goodbye." Steven scratches the back of his head.

"Yes…" I answer trying not to look even more awkward than I probably already do.

I can't help but stare at him; he looks so gorgeous and charming… I wish he didn't have to leave yet! Without saying a word, I put my arms around his neck and I press my lips against his. Steven draws me closer to him and gently strokes my cheek as we kiss. We hesitate a bit before separating, looking into each other's eyes.

"Goodnight, my love." He says with his face still close to mine.

"Goodnight, darling." I say as we finally separate.

I watch as he gets on his pokémon's back and leaves. I don't know if it's just me, but I think Steven looked at me as Skarmory took off. I wave goodbye although I know he probably can't see me now. Suddenly I feel sorta nostalgic; I guess I already want to see Steven again although he just left… Nobody told me this could happen.

But anyway, now I have to think about what will happen tomorrow and go to bed. There's a plan that must be schemed!


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52: Big dreams**

Everything is decided now. I'm heading to Josh's house at Littleroot Town with the two contest tickets on my pocket, ready to hand them to him. He has no idea that we are going to the Slateport contest, I only told him that we could hang out a bit today and as you can see, he accepted. Now I'm wondering how his reaction will be like when I tell him what we are actually going to do!

I'm in front of the door of his house now, I ring the doorbell once and I wait for someone to come and open the door. In the meanwhile, I look around to observe the small town, which is pretty quiet as usual. Finally, I hear somebody approaching the door. A woman in her late thirties opens the door.

"Hi! You must be Josh's friend." She greets kindly.

"Hi! Yes, that's me." I greet the woman back.

"Alright, I will go tell him that you are here. He will be there soon!" She leaves the door ajar and walks away from it. "Josh, your friend is here!" I can hear her as she leaves.

Again, I stand in front of the door, waiting for Josh to come. But it doesn't look like I'm going to have to wait too much, because after a little while, I hear somebody walking towards the door again. This time the one opening it is Josh.

"Hey Emily! How have you been?" Josh salutes as he gestures me to enter the house.

"I've been doing pretty well!" I respond with a big smile, mostly thinking about what happened yesterday.

"I can tell, you look like you won the lottery or something. Also, that haircut rocks!" He says giving a thumbs up.

"Thank you!" It's a bit uncommon to see Josh complimenting somebody, but today there's a person he will want to compliment… "Do you want to know about something else that rocks?" Time to reveal the surprise!

"Sure." Josh answers calmly, he can't see this coming.

I grab the tickets from my jacket's pocket and I show them to him, paying close attention to his reaction.

"Tickets for a contest?" Josh seems puzzled. "My sister isn't participating…"

"But Lisia is!" I exclaim. "What do you say to that?"

Now Josh is looking at me like if I said that I just saw a Mew outside the window. "Lisia is on the contest?" He asks with his eyes wide open.

"Yes!" I answer as I hand Josh one of the tickets, waiting for him to grab it.

"Where did you get those?" He seems unsure about grabbing the ticket.

"Are you implying that I'm a criminal?" I ask jokingly. "An important person gave them to me." I can't help but blush as I say that…

"Who's that important person?" Now Josh goes from being shocked to being curious. We weren't talking about me!

Now I'm nervous. Do I really have to tell him about Steven? I don't even know what to say or where to start!

"Let's make it simple… Do you know who the Hoenn Champion is?" I say in one go.

"Err… The son of the Devon Corporation dude, right?"

"Yes, the son of the Devon Corporation dude." I echo his words.

"What's your business with him?" Josh inquiries still without grabbing the ticket I'm offering.

"Well… Remember the day we challenged the Pokémon League?"

"Yeah." Now Josh has his arms crossed.

"As you already know, I lost that battle, but something happened after the battle ended." I continue with my explanation, I really want to finish! Josh nods, encouraging me to continue. "There's the thing: I happened to encounter him several times during my journey and as time went by, I fell for him. So after the battle, I told him everything and…"

"Wait, YOU ARE DATING THE SON OF THE PRESIDENT OF DEVON CORPORATION?" Josh interrupts all of sudden, he is clearly very surprised.

"Yes, I am!" Well, I finally said it!

"How did you manage to do that?" Now Josh is really enthused.

"Do what? I don't know, I didn't do anything…" Josh is talking about it just like if I did something unbelievable, although it could be said it is something incredible.

"So, you got those tickets from him?" He says pointing at the piece of paper that I'm still holding out to him.

"Yes, last night we had a date and he gave me those because he couldn't attend the contest. That's why I came here; since I know that you like Lisia I thought you would want to see the contest!"

"Of course I want to!" Josh finally grabs the ticket and puts it on his jeans's pocket with a quick movement. "Well, are we leaving now?"

"Yes! The contest will start in about forty minutes or so. But first, we have to make a little stop." I say as I put my own ticket back on my pocket.

"Where are we going?" Josh asks with curiosity.

"You are going to buy something for Lisia!" I announce with excitement.

"Me? What I am supposed to buy? How will I give it to her?" Josh starts walking around the room; he is clearly very excited and nervous!

"I'm pretty sure you can give it to her right after the contest ends!"

"But what am I going to give her? Pink diamonds? I'm pretty sure everyone loves pink diamonds!" It looks like he is talking to himself. "But pink diamonds are so rare… Maybe a pokémon could make them or something!"

"And exactly because of that we aren't getting pink diamonds… It's simply a bouquet of flowers." I say hoping Josh will stop acting so hyper, he has to focus!

"Well, people like flowers too!" Suddenly Josh goes silent, as if he was struck by a sudden revelation or something. "Are you trying to make me declare myself to Lisia?!"

"Not exactly… Although you could if you wanted to!" I wink as Josh turns red. "I just thought it would be nice if you showed Lisia your appreciation, who knows what could happen after that!"

"What do you mean?" Now Josh is even redder.

"Well, there have been cases of celebrities who started dating one of their fans!"

"Woah, really?! Do you think it could work?"

"Why not? You can't know if you don't try. Just look at me!" I exclaim referring to my relationship with Steven.

"Then let's get going, we already wasted enough time!" Josh starts walking towards the door. "Mom, dad, I'm going to watch a contest with my friend!"

With those words, we step out of the house and Josh closes the door very noisily. Now we start to walk towards Route 101.

"I think it would be nice if we got to the flower shop by flying, we could save up some time." I suggest as we walk into the route that leads outside of Littleroot Town.

"Wait, where's that shop?" Josh asks.

"It's on Route 104, but it will be better if we go there with our pokémon. I'm pretty sure we will end up spending quite a lot of time here, anyway."

"Okay, but I don't have a pokémon who can fly! How are we supposed to get there?" Josh questions loudly, startling a lone Zigzagoon.

"We can go with Hershey; he can carry the both of us with no problem." We both stop as I get ready to release Hershey from his pokéball. "Go, Hershey!"

"Are you sure he can carry more than one person?" Josh doesn't seem to be too confident about it. What does he think? Hershey is not a weakling!

I turn to talk to Josh. "Of course! Why wouldn't he?" Now I address Hershey again. "Hershey, I need you to take me and my friend near the flower shop on Route 104. Is that fine for you?"

Hershey answers with an energetic cry, spreading his wings. It looks like he is willing to do it! I get on Hershey's back at the same time I gesture Josh to do the same. Although he hesitates a bit, Josh comes and sits behind me, although he still looks unsure about it.

"Now hold on tight because it's time to take off!" Josh grabs my shoulders after I say this.

"Okay but… WOAH!" It looks like the takeoff really got him by surprise!

We are flying over Oldale Town. I can see my house from there! "Look Josh, that's my house!"

"Which one? I'm not a fortune-teller!"

"The one with the red rooftop." I specify as we fly over it.

"Ooh, that one? It looks good! How big is it on the inside?" Josh asks.

"It's big enough for a small family like mine, so I can't complain. And also, we have plenty of space for my pokémon in the backyard and that's a plus."

"I'm pretty sure you will end up living on a bigger house, anyway… If you know what I mean!" Josh snickers.

"Yeah… I guess." His comment is making me blush again!

We are nearing Petalburg City now, which means that our destination is not too far away. We still have plenty of time to arrive to the Contest Hall in Slateport City, so I don't think we have to worry about being late. Plus, Hershey flies pretty fast, that's why I'm never late to my classes on the Ranger School! It's always good to be punctual.

"Hey Emily, what if there's some toughie who won't let me approach Lisia and give her the flowers?" Josh sounds agitated again.

"I don't think so, she usually loves to interact with the fans and she doesn't look like the kind of person who likes to have bodyguards around her to keep the people away." At least that's the impression Lisia gave me the few times I've seen her, specially that time I got lost on my way to Mossdeep City.

"Well you're right but, what if that happens?"

"Then we will have to talk with that person and ask him to allow us to approach Lisia."

"I don't think it's as easy as you make it look like, but okay." A few seconds go by and Josh talks again. "I was just kidding."

"That's fine. Look, we are almost there now!"

Indeed, we are already on Route 104. Hershey is starting to fly lower as we approach the flower shop. I wonder how long it will take for Josh to decide, there's so many different kinds of flowers on that store! I used to visit it very often, that's why I know!

We finally land in front of the small building. We get off of Hershey's back and I thank him for bringing us here. I press the button in the middle of his pokéball and I put it back on my bag before opening the door of the shop. As soon as we enter, the scent of the various flowers welcomes us.

"Welcome to Pretty Petal flower shop!" The clerk greets us as she fixes a tiny bouquet of flowers.

We both answer to her greeting and we head for the shelf where lots of different kinds of flowers of almost all of the possible colors are on display: roses, orchids, tulips, lilies… There's a lot to choose from. I can tell Josh is looking carefully at each and every one of them, thinking which one could be the best for his favorite performer and crush!

"Do you think she will like these pink tulips? Or maybe these lilies?"

"Take this as a suggestion; her favorite color seems to be blue, so maybe blue flowers would be a good choice." I advise as I take a look at the flowers myself.

"You're right! I bet she would love some blue flowers. Now the question is, what kind of flowers?" Of course, Josh still can't make up his mind.

"I don't know, I guess you could go with the ones you like the most." I suggest again.

"Anyway, I don't think she will be too impressed. The possibilities of her being flattered by my gift are lower than the chances of a Fire and Water type pokémon existing out there!"

"Don't talk too much; you never know if a pokémon like that could be discovered! But what really matters now is, you are being way too insecure. Where's the Josh I first met? I think this could be a good moment to bring him back!" I try not to talk too loud, I don't want to bother the other people in the shop, but I can't help but raise my voice!

Josh ponders for a bit. "I think you are right, I should be more confident! I'm usually not like this; if I act too shy around her then I won't get anywhere!"

"That's right!" I cheer.

Taking a look at the flowers yet again, it looks like Josh finally decided. "I think it would be nice to get a bouquet of blue and white roses. I'll go tell the florist!"

I follow Josh on his way to the counter, now he seems to be so much more self-assured than before!

"Hi! I would like to buy a bouquet of white and blue flowers." He says putting both hands on the counter with an eager look on his face.

"Sure! How many of each do you want?" The shopkeeper questions kindly.

"Hmm… I think six of each will do."

"Alright! I will go and arrange the bouquet, it will be ready in a little bit."

The young woman walks towards the shelf that contains the flowers and grabs six white roses and six blue roses. Now she approaches a table and starts working on them, carefully alternating the two kinds of flowers and putting some green in between of them. To add the finishing touch, she wraps the flowers with shiny white paper and adds a blue ribbon that matches with the blue roses. The bouquet looks so gorgeous! Now she approaches us holding the bunch of flowers.

"Here you go! That will be 752 pokédollars."

Josh gets his purse out of his pocket and after rummaging for a little bit, he hands the money over to the florist and gets a hold of the bouquet. "Thanks a lot!" He says right before heading towards the door.

"You're most welcome. Have a nice day!" The shopkeeper answers with a smile.

We exit the shop and again, I release Hershey from his pokéball, which alarms Josh a little bit.

"Wait, do you think I will be able to ride on his back with the bouquet?"

"Yes, just give it to me. I will be very careful!" I say trying to grab the bunch of flowers.

"I'm not too sure, but okay."

I get on Hershey's back and soon Josh does the same. "Hershey, this time we are going to Slateport City, alright?" Hershey chirps as a response. "Okay, let's go!" Now Josh grabs my shoulders just like last time. Now, we are flying towards Slateport City.

The view is incredible, I look at my right and I can see Rustboro City on its entirety. Of course the view of Mount Chimney, which can be seen from afar, is also stunning.

"Hey Josh, remember when we went to Mount Chimney together and we had to deal with Team Aqua?" I ask remembering the intensity of those moments.

"I sure do! Those guys were very weird. I'm glad you could get rid of them!" Josh says loudly, probably retrospecting that tension as well!

"Getting rid of them? You make it sound like I made them disappear!" I laugh as I imagine some Team Aqua grunts disappearing down a magician's hat.

"Well, you could do that the next time a bad guy pops up. Imagine pushing them through a portal or something that can lead them somewhere way too far for them to find their way back! I'm pretty sure out there there's a pokémon able of doing that kind of things. Wouldn't that be awesome?" Josh sounds amazed by that idea.

"It would be awesome indeed, and very convenient!" To be honest, I wouldn't mind coming across new pokémon. I'm sure there's lots of interesting ones to see and I'm not even close to having seen all the pokémon living in Hoenn!

"Sorry for getting out of topic, but how far are we from Slateport City?" Suddenly Josh's voice has a hint of impatience, which is totally understandable.

I can already see Slateport City. "We are not too far away so, don't worry, we have ample time!"

"Alright, I just hope our seats won't be taken by somebody else!" It looks like Josh is nervous again.

"Why would they be taken? The seats are assigned to the tickets, so there's no way somebody else would occupy them unless they are really cheeky."

"I guess so… It's just that I feel so anxious! I don't know how to explain it, this was totally unplanned and I had no idea that today I was going there. I didn't even know that Lisia was coming to Slateport City! I guess you can say that I'm an awful fan…" Josh mutters.

"No, you're not an awful fan; it's just that you didn't notice. That's all!" Suddenly, I notice that we are practically on Slateport City. "Josh, we are almost there!" Now I address to Hershey. "Now it's time to land!"

Progressively, we lose altitude as Hershey descends into Slateport City, leaving us near the Contest Hall. I hand the bouquet of flowers over to Josh, who holds it like if it was a treasure or something, and I return Hershey to his pokéball. There's already a fair amount of people congregated there. After all, the contest will start in a bit less than twenty minutes and nobody wants to be late! But I'm sure that nobody is more eager to see the contest start than a certain person…

"Wow, there are lots and lots of people! I hope there's not a problem when the time of entering the hall comes because…" Josh can't finish his sentence; he seems to be thinking about something else all of sudden. "Nevermind, I should stop stressing myself out with dumb thoughts. Although after all, I guess I'm acting just like any fan would, don't you think?"

Suddenly a group of teenage girls appears running past us. They are screaming as if there were no tomorrow and one of them is holding a sign.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ARE FINALLY GETTING TO SEE CHAZ!" Says the girl who holds the sign.

"I KNOW RIGHT?" Another one says after bumping into an old man who dedicates a harsh glare to her.

"I SWEAR TO ARCEUS THAT IF I DON'T GET CHAZ TO SIGN MY SHIRT I WILL HAVE A HEART ATTACK OR SOMETHING!" Yet another young girl yells as she flails her arms in a frantic manner.

"NYUUUUUUUUUU!" A fourth girl tries to say something, but she can only squeal in excitement.

Josh has been watching the whole scene with perplexity. "And I thought I was acting like a hysteric fan…"

"You are nowhere near as agitated as those girls are." I observe the group as they approach the Contest Hall's door, annoying many people on the way. "By the way, who is that Chaz? He seems to be pretty popular."

"Chaz is Lisia's rival, although she denies it, saying that contests aren't about rivalry. He is very popular among girls, as you can see." Josh talks like a contest expert. But of course he knows about contests, his sister participates in them, after all!

Now a very well dressed man comes out of the Contest Hall. "Ladies and gentleman, it's time to enter the building! The contest will start soon, so it's time to get ready to watch the show. Please enter in an orderly manner and avoid fighting. Thank you all for coming!" The man enters the building again, this time standing at one side of the door allowing the crowd to enter.

Before I can realize, Josh is already walking towards the entrance. "Hey, wait!" I protest while I walk quickly, catching up with him.

"Were you distracted or something? Don't be as slow as a Torkoal!" Josh jokes as we finally enter the building.

"I can tell you are really eager to get there..." I mutter as we follow the crowd.

The place is very noisy, everybody is talking and laughing, the same girls from before can be heard very clearly. They say something about ambushing Chaz on his dressing room. If I was Chaz I would be concerned about my safety!

We are now near the room where the contest will take place. A woman is on the door checking everybody's tickets and telling them where their seats are located.

"Josh, get your ticket ready." I murmur as I grab mine, which I had inside my pocket.

"Alright…" He answers while he does the same.

The line advances and we are now closer to the door of the theatre. Josh sighs with impatience as he glances at the bouquet of flowers, which now he is firmly holding with a single hand. From there I can see how the room slowly fills. I take a look at my ticket; it says the seat is on the fourth row. I'm sure we will have an amazing view from there!

It's almost our turn, only a few people left before we can enter! I take another look at Josh, who looks like he wishes to push his way towards the remaining people so he can enter once and for all.

"Hey Josh, be careful and don't act like those girls we saw before!" I nudge him in a jokingly manner.

"No worries, I'm being patient." Josh assures with a slight smile.

"Yes, that's it!" I answer as the person before us walks into the theatre, which means that it's our turn now!

"The ticket, please." The woman says calmly. I hand the piece of paper to her and as soon as I do, she checks it with a quick glance. "Alright, you can enter."

I enter into the theatre and at the same time, Josh gives his ticket to the usher, who pronounces the exact same words that she said to me. Now we only have to sit down and wait for the show to start! We make our way through the stairs with a bit of difficulty, there's a bunch of people trying to find their seats. The bustle gets more and more intense as people enter the room; the excitement is more than evident!

Finally, we manage to get to our seats. After politely asking some people to allow us to reach our seats, we sit down on them.

"We finally made it! I thought we would never do it." Josh places the bouquet of flowers on his laps and stretches his arms indiscreetly, earning himself a few bad looks from people sitting around us.

"Yes, it won't take too long until the contest starts. Now we only have to wait a bit more!" I answer eyeing the red curtains that cover the stage.

The theatre is still getting filled with eager fans, their voices spread over the whole room creating an odd blend of sounds. Of course, the girls I keep mentioning are the ones who can be heard more clearly. Some people is clapping, cheering and demanding for the contest to start already. I don't know if I've ever been in such a noisy place before… The last time I attended a contest, people were calmer or at least, I don't remember such a commotion!

I look behind me and I instantly verify that the room is almost full, only a small group of people is left and then all the seats will be occupied. It's no surprise that all the tickets sold out.

I can hear the door closing, which means everybody is inside already! Now the lights go out, only leaving a few spotlights on the sides of the stage to illuminate the place.

"It's starting!" Josh says trying to contain his excitement.

"Yes, finally!" I answer being suddenly caught up by the general enthusiasm.

A masculine voice-over booms through the speakers. "Welcome to Slateport City's Contest Hall. Today we are celebrating a Super Rank Cuteness contest! In a moment we will introduce our amazing contestants but first, remember to turn off your mobile phones to avoid disrupting the show and don't forget that entering food and drinks into the theatre is forbidden." A cheerful music starts playing as the curtain rises. At the moment, the stage is empty. "It's time to introduce the four talented contestants that will show us today their skills… And their pokémon too, of course! First up we have Annette and her Lopunny, Lady Fluff!"

The crowd claps and cheers as a young woman and her pokémon enter the stage. The pokémon that the man speaking identified as Lopunny is definitely fit for a cuteness contest, she moves in a very graceful way swaying her long, fluffy ears as she accompanies her trainer to the right side of the stage. I can hear more than one person going "Aww!"

The voice-over can be heard again. "Next up, we have somebody very recognized among contest enthusiasts… Chaz and his Machoke, Macherie!"

Now all the girls on the room go insane, nothing but their overly excited screams can be heard! The intensity of the clapping is making the room tremble and it's more than evident that Chaz really likes that. His Machoke also seems to be more than happy with all the attention that she and her trainer are getting. Seeing the way people have reacted with Chaz's entrance, I'm thinking that the ceiling might fall down when Lisia shows up!

"It's turn for our next contestant and that's Ben with his Poliwhirl, Glover!"

A young boy enters the stage, holding his Poliwhirl on his arms. Compared to the response to Chaz's arrival, the crowd is less excited. Of course, a lot of people is cheering for Ben and his pokémon. Everybody has some admirers, after all!

"And now the moment everybody has been waiting…" The voice-over catches the attention of everybody on the room. "…it's time to welcome Hoenn's number one Contest idol and her fabulous partner. Let me hear it for Lisia and her Altaria, Ali!"

As I predicted, the whole room goes bonkers. The noise is starting to make my ears hurt, but I guess that's what comes with attending a contest! I take a look at Josh and I can tell he is containing his excitement, probably afraid of looking like an insane fanboy or something. But everybody is acting like an insane fanboy (and fangirl) right now so, there's no use in being ashamed!

"Just do it!" I say loudly trying to get Josh to hear me. Surprisingly enough, he does. Josh looks at me with a face full of doubt.

He seems to hesitate but, finally, he starts clapping and cheering shyly. Well, at least that's something! The crowd progressively calms down, relieving the pain in my ears… But Josh is not calming down. In fact, his cheering is raising its intensity but once he realizes that it's time to stop and let the show go on, he abruptly stops clapping. I guess his emotions are betraying him!

The voice-over can be heard once again. "Now that all our contestants have been introduced, it's time to start! First up, Ben and his Poliwhirl, Glover!"

The rest of participants leave the stage to Ben and his pokémon. The young boy seems pretty confident. "Alright Glover, start using bubble!" Poliwhirl's hands glow white as he starts throwing multiple bubbles into the air. "Now use facade!" An orange aura surrounds Poliwhirl as he proceeds to tackle all of the bubbles, spawning a sparkly explosion that leaves the audience absolutely fascinated. Most people is clapping and whistling, Ben bows slightly as a response. Now he and his pokémon leave the stage.

"That was a great performance, indeed!" The voice-over exclaims. "Now it's time to see what our next competitor has to offer. It's time for Annette and her Lopunny, Lady Fluff!"

Both trainer and pokémon enter the stage with enthusiasm, they are willing to give their all!

"Go Lady Fluff… After you!" The Lopunny runs towards the right side of the stage, disappearing from our sight. Everybody is pretty confused. "Now surprise everyone with teeter dance!" Lopunny reappears from the opposite side of the stage performing a wobbly dance moving her ears a lot as she does. Her movements sorta remind me of a dance they typically do in a faraway region. Lots of people start mimicking the pokémon's moves and suddenly I see myself being dragged in, I can't help it! Once the dance finishes, the room bursts into loud clapping and cheers. This performance has been awesome!

"What a lovely show that was! Next up, Chaz and his Machoke, Macherie!"

Just as the previous contestant leaves, Chaz bursts into the stage along with his Machoke. I think I don't need to say how the crowd is behaving now!

"Well Macherie… Show everyone how cute you can be and use swagger!" Machoke crosses her arms and stares at the audience, like if she wanted all of us to look at her and nothing else but her. "Now you have them eating out of your hand. Use fling!" The pokémon raises her left hand, making a dark blue ball appear. Now she throws said ball, causing a explosion of blue sparkles. Chaz looks at the crowd with a smug grin, waiting for the people's reaction. As it's evident, everybody reacts with huge levels of excitement. Chaz and Macherie leave the stage as if nothing happened, which somehow makes everybody go wild. I guess it's because of his attitude.

"That was an impressive performance! Now it's time to welcome everybody's favorite contest idol, Lisia and her Altaria, Ali!"

Lisia enters the stage riding on her Altaria's back. Once again, it feels like the ceiling can fall down at any moment. Lisia says something as she gets off from her Altaria's back, but with all the commotion is impossible to tell what she says.

"Here we are, finally! Ali, start with a dazzling attract!" Ali winks at the audience and a bunch of pink hearts surround him. He flies across the stage with the hearts following him. "Now use uproar!" Ali stops in the middle of the stage as he starts to sing a song and flap his wings vigorously. A bunch of blue waves come out of his beak. I can't help but cheer at the performance, Ali is sure doing a great job! Although I might be a bit biased since I interacted with him before. Needless to say, Josh is enjoying the performance quite a bit too, although he is paying more attention to Lisia that to Ali. The audience keeps cheering loudly as Lisia and Ali salute before leaving the stage.

"And this great performance finishes the first round, which means that it's time to start with the next and last round! Now it's your turn to show how much you like the performances, you will find glow sticks under your seat!" The voice-over announces as everyone grabs the glow sticks from under their seats. I think it will be quite entertaining to see everyone using them!

"Time to start with the talent round! Let's welcome again Ben and his Poliwhirl, Glover!" The boy and his Poliwhirl enter the stage again, they look even more determined than before. "Glover, refresh!" Ben opens his arms as he gives the instruction. Poliwhirl imitates his trainer's gesture and a blue aura now surrounds him. "Now use encore!" Poliwhirl forms a white ball of light between his hands and throws it at the audience. Everybody is enchanted but not too many glow sticks can be seen. I turn on mine as a way to show some support. Ben and his pokémon leave the stage looking slightly disappointed.

"Well that wasn't bad at all!" The voice-over says. "Let's see what the next participant has ready for us now. This time it's the turn of Lisia and her Altaria, Ali!" Obviously, everybody is more than happy to see these two again, both Lisia and Ali are pretty happy about the attention they get. "Ali, let's start with cotton guard this time!" Ali's wings start glowing white as the fluff puffs up considerably. "Now use return!" With a swift move, Ali suddenly sheds the extra fluff. Now the stage is full of big cotton balls… but Ali remedies that by tackling them with great force, pushing the cotton balls out of the stage. The whole audience is enthused, this time the crowd has turned into a bunch of glow sticks. Josh has obviously turned on his and of course, I do the same. I really liked that! Lisia gets on Ali's back and waves goodbye to the crowd before disappearing through the left side of the stage.

"That was an amazing show, like always!" Everyone agrees with the voice-over by clapping very loudly. "Now it's time for us to see what the next contestant has in store. Let's welcome Annette and her Lopunny, Lady Fluff!" Pokémon and trainer enter the stage with a calm stance. They are ready to give their best in this second round. "Lady Fluff, use charm!" The Lopunny makes a very cute face and places her paws on her chins, taking a look at the whole audience and making sure that everyone is looking at her. "Time to use bounce!" Taking everybody by surprise, Lopunny starts jumping all around the stage with agile movements. Again, many people turns on their glow sticks to show support, but there's not as many as before with Lisia and Ali's performance. I decide to use mine as well, all the performances are fantastic! Annette and her Lopunny exit the stage, seemingly very satisfied with their performance.

"The Contest is coming to an end and that means it's time to see what our last participant has to offer. Last but not least, Chaz and his Machoke, Macherie!" Despite the ruckus, Chaz barely pays attention to the people cheering for him and he appears to be mostly concentrated on himself and his pokémon. "Macherie, start by using protect!" A light green force field surrounds the Machoke, who is flexing her arms. "Alright, now use substitute!" Machoke glows white and suddenly, another Machoke appears outside of the force field. Now the Machoke inside the force field stops flexing her arms, making the aura surrounding her and the fake Machoke disappear. The audience answers by lighting up their glow sticks, almost at the same time. The ones giving a more intense response are girls, of course. Not saying that everybody else is less excited because there are lots of boys losing their minds as well.

Chaz and his pokémon leave as the same music that could be heard before starts playing. "Ladies and gentleman, the Contest is not over yet! We still have to see the results. This ranking is made judging by the amount of glow sticks that the audience has shown during the performances." A huge screen appears in the back of the stage. "Let's start! The fourth place goes to Ben and his Poliwhirl, Glover!"

The boy and his Poliwhirl enter again the stage, this time with a resigned expression. They wave and the crowd answers with cheers, whistles and applauses. "Next up, the third place goes to Annette and her Lopunny, Lady Fluff!"

Both pokémon and trainer enter the stage with their arms intertwined, they actually look pretty satisfied with their result! I can't help but join the round of applause. "Now in the second place of our ranking we have Chaz and his Machoke, Macherie!"

Chaz doesn't look happy, it's clear that he wanted to reach the first place. His Machoke appears to be worried about her trainer's attitude, but she manages to salute the public with a smile. Anyway, Chaz's bad mood doesn't stop the fans from going crazy again.

"And now, here's the moment everybody was waiting for. In the first place we have LISIA AND HER ALTARIA, ALI!" Almost all of the people on the room stand up as Lisia and her pokémon enter the stage with a great enthusiasm, blowing kisses at random people on the crowd. Josh is not standing up because the bouquet is sitting on his lap, but he claps and cheers with the same intensity as anyone else does.

A young woman comes out of the left side of the stage and places a ribbon on Lisia's top, which symbolizes her victory on today's contest. Chaz looks at Lisia with an annoyed frown while his Machoke stares at Lisia's Altaria in an endearing way. I would say she likes Ali quite a bit!

"And now we are done with this Super Rank Cuteness contest! Please leave the theatre orderly and of course, thank you for coming to witness this Contest. Until next time!" As soon as the voice-over is done speaking, everybody stands up and starts walking towards the exit.

"The moment of truth is approaching…" Josh murmurs as he takes a look at the flower bouquet he is holding.

"Yes, you must give the flowers to her! I'm sure she will love them." I encourage him as we approach the door that leads outside the room.

We pass several people, trying to exit the theatre quickly so we can get to see Lisia before she leaves. Josh is more than eager to be out of here and I understand him, I would feel the same way if I was on his place!

Finally, we are outside the room. "Quick, let's go down the stairs!" Josh exclaims as he races towards a set of stairs that leads to the entrance level. I have to run too in order to reach Josh; I didn't see people running that fast in a long time!

"Be careful or you might trip and fall!" I warn Josh as I finally catch up to him.

"No worries, no such luck!" He says as we finish walking down the stairs.

The hall is still full of people, probably they are waiting for their favorite contestants, pretty much just like us. I wonder if any of them is as eager to see their idol as Josh is right now…

We approach the door of the dressing room, guessing that Lisia will be here at any moment now. A few other fans had the same idea as us and they are walking near the dressing room too. Some stare at Josh's bouquet, correctly guessing that it is for Lisia.

Suddenly there's a great commotion, Lisia is here! Of course, Ali is right next to her. Some fans stop the pokémon to pet his wings, a gesture that neither Ali nor Lisia mind. I take a quick look at Josh and he looks kinda annoyed, he just wishes Lisia finally approached us so he can give her her gift.

Lisia signs a couple of autographs before finally walking in our direction. Josh also starts walking towards her and it looks like she just noticed him! I wonder if Lisia still remembers Josh from that time she invited me to the contest…

"Lisia! I…" Suddenly Josh gets interrupted.

"Humph, good job with ruining my performance once again!" It's Chaz, who appeared out of nowhere followed by his Machoke, who is now standing at Ali's right side.

"Oh, come on! I didn't ruin your performance, you did a great job! I really think you should stop with the rivalry thing, it's not cool!" Now Chaz's has all of Lisia's attention, which leaves Josh with a puzzled expression.

"I will never stop! What's the fun in participating on Contests without somebody to look up to or a little rivalry?" Chaz answers with a slight frown.

"But Chaz, contests are meant to be funny! You can't have fun if you are constantly thinking of being better than somebody, especially if that somebody happens to be your best friend!" Lisia's answer makes Chaz blush subtly. As for Josh…Well, do I need to say what Josh's face is right now? It looks like he wants to hit Chaz with the flower bouquet!

"Of course we are friends, but I will never stop wanting to be better than you in contests!" Chaz blurts.

"You will never change!" Lisia says jokingly as she heads for the dress room.

Josh observes how Chaz walks away but soon he notices Lisia, who is being followed by Ali, opening the door to her changing room.

"W-wait, Lisia! I have something for you!" Josh is literally chasing Lisia, who turns around and almost gets a flower bouquet to the face.

"Aww, these are for me? What a cute gesture from you!" Lisia smiles as she takes the bouquet from Josh's hands, who is as happy as he can be… But suddenly a ringing sound can be heard from within the dressing room. "Oops, it looks like I got a call! But really, thanks a lot for the flowers; they happen to be my favorite kind." The blue haired girl smiles again before closing the door.

Josh stares at the door. "I expected something else…" He mutters. "That damn Chaz guy… If only he didn't distract Lisia!"

"But at least you got to give her the flowers and she loved them! What else are you asking for?" I ask as we still stand in front of the room.

"I don't know… A longer conversation or something. That would have been awesome!"

"Well, maybe that can happen next time, you only have to keep trying. Just attend all the contests you can and maybe eventually, you will get to build up a friendship with Lisia!" I pat his back in an encouraging gesture.

"Even better than the one she has with that obnoxiously snob guy?" Josh questions with a more cheerful tone.

"Yes! That can be possible. If it's your dream, only you can make it come true. Just like I did; I started a journey because I wanted to meet lots of pokémon, see new places and meet new people and if it was possible, maybe even become the Champion, but in the end that was not possible… And that doesn't keep me from wanting to keep enjoying of the things that come with being around pokémon! Do you get what I mean?" Maybe I'm a bit too excited!

"Yes, I do! I mustn't let this bring me down. If I want to get closer to Lisia, then I should persevere. Maybe I will bring her another bouquet of flowers next time!" Now Josh is finally his true self!

"That sounds like a great idea, make sure you buy her favourite flowers next time too!" I exclaim as we walk away from the door that leads to Lisia's changing room, heading for the exit of the Contest Hall. I hope Josh is now more motivated to chase his dream, I will make sure to keep on working on my dream of becoming a Pokémon Ranger…

i"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true."/i


End file.
